Many people believe that drugs like methadone are just for addiction treatment.  They may wonder why we at Narconon Suncoast don’t prescribe drugs for the treatment of addiction to opioids like heroin, Percocet, or OxyContin.

There are a lot of things which the average individual is not shown or does not hear about methadone.  We will reveal several of these points here.

What is Methadone?

Methadone is an opioid.  This means it has a similar chemical structure to heroin, Percocet, OxyContin, Vicodin, and other opioids.  We think of methadone as something used to get people off of drugs, but it’s actually a pain medication in its own right. 

Methadone is commonly used to try to wean people off of other opioids.  But, very often, it’s abused by those who tried to get off of the street or prescription drugs they were addicted to – and ended up hooked on methadone.  There are brand names for this drug like Methadose and Dolophine.  There are also a number of street names including: Amidone, Fizzies, Junk, Wafer, Maria, Juice, and Pastora.

Why is Methadone Prescribed for Addiction?

The drug methadone was originally developed in 1939 in Germany after years of research into the subject of synthetic opiates (drugs developed in a lab to act like opium – which is a natural substance).  After World War II, several legal actions happened which resulted in the formula for methadone falling into the hands of American drug giant Eli-Lilly. The American drug company marketed methadone as a painkiller in 1947.

By the mid 1960’s, there was a real problem with diseases spreading among heroin addicts due to needle use.  The Rockefeller Foundation found that dosing heroin addicts with methadone allowed the addicts to stop shooting up heroin.  Methadone is active within the human body longer than heroin, so theoretically a heroin addict can take a dose of methadone in the morning and not need anything else to prevent withdrawal symptoms until the next morning.

The problem is that many addicts taking methadone began to abuse it – or abused heroin on top of taking the methadone (see the cult classic Trainspotting for an example.) Additionally, methadone is considered a long-term maintenance solution, not an end-all solution for heroin addiction.  In other words, if you take heroin and switch to methadone, you’re going to be on that methadone for a long time. One survey noted that the average long-term methadone treatment period is a little over two years.  Methadone maintenance can go even longer, though.  An individual can be on methadone for over 10 years.

Methadone Withdrawal

It seems like methadone is a better solution than just taking someone right off of heroin or weaning them off the opioid they are addicted to.  Unfortunately, this isn’t true.

While withdrawal from heroin is hard – and can be downright miserable – it’s not nearly as difficult, time consuming, and dangerous as withdrawing from methadone.  Methadone withdrawal takes longer than withdrawing from heroin – and it causes withdrawal symptoms that can actually be worse than withdrawal symptoms experienced when getting off heroin or another opioid.  The methadone withdrawal symptoms include: 

• Diarrhea
• Feeling feverish – sweating, chills, nausea, vomiting
• Abdominal cramps
• Insomnia
• Exhaustion
• Increased sensitivity to pain
• Unexplained aches and pains
• Rapid heart rate
• High blood pressure
• Depression
• Paranoia
• Anxiety, panic attacks
• Delusions and/or hallucinations
• Suicidal thoughts
• Death

Out of all opioids, methadone is one of the most dangerous to withdraw from.  

Methadone Addiction

While methadone is used by clinics and some rehabs to put an individual on a long-term treatment program, it is also addictive.  Methadone comes both in pill form and in liquid form.  Addicts will simply drink more than their prescribed dosage to get high.  They also may lie to their clinic and state that their prescription does not allow them to manage opiate withdrawal symptoms.  At this point, a clinic may up their dose.

Additionally, methadone pills have increased the number of addicts.  These pills are taken in bulk or are crushed and snorted or are dissolved and shot up.  The pill form is usually prescribed for pain, but the end result can still lead to addiction.

There is no avoiding the fact that this drug is listed by the Drug Enforcement Administration as a Schedule II drug.  This is the same category as OxyContin.  It means it has a high potential for abuse and has huge potential for dependence.  In defining their drug scheduling, the DEA states that Schedule II drugs are “considered dangerous.”

Methadone and Pregnancy

In a previous article, we discussed neonatal abstinence syndrome.  Briefly, this is when an addicted mother gives birth to a baby who has become dependent upon a drug because the mother was using while the baby was in the womb.  This means the newborn baby has withdrawal symptoms.

Many mothers are misinformed and told that methadone will not cause these symptoms in their newborn baby.  They are told it is a safe method of treating their addiction and do not find out that it actually harms their unborn child.

It is not safe to withdraw suddenly from any drug while one is pregnant.  However, it is also wrong to misinform a mother about her baby’s upcoming medical difficulties.

The Problem with Methadone and Rehab

Another thing no one tells you about methadone is many in-patient rehabs will not accept individuals on a methadone maintenance plan or who are trying to get off of methadone.  It takes a very long time to withdraw from methadone safely.  This means an in-patient rehab isn’t something many can afford.  So, many rehabs just don’t accept those who have not already weaned off methadone.

Additionally, methadone causes a different reaction in individuals from one person to another.  While a dose of a certain amount might be fine for one person, another may overdose at the same dosage.

If you or a loved one suffers from heroin addiction, call Narconon Suncoast today at 1-877-850-7355 for information on the drug-free Narconon Program.  For nearly 50 years, Narconon has saved those who were thought lost to substance abuse forever.

Refs: Drugs.com, DEADiversion.usdoj.gov, Justice.gov, DrugAbuse.gov, ABCNews.go.com

Disclaimer: The information in this article is not intended to take the place of a medical professional’s advice or a face-to-face medical assessment.  The information in this article is presented to provide educational information only.  It does not diagnose, treat, prevent or cure anything. Please contact a professional if you need a diagnosis or treatment of a condition.