Methadone

Methadone is a medication used to treat addiction to drugs in the opiate/opioid family (opiates).

Opiates include heroin, morphine, OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin, Dilaudid and other “prescription pain killers.”

Methadone is used to treat symptoms of withdrawal during detox, and is used as a maintenance drug for long term treatment of opiate dependence. Methadone is also commonly used to treat pain.

Methadone is a powerful treatment intervention for addiction to heroin or other opiates, and many methadone patients are successful in long term recovery.

Methadone is the subject of a number of myths and prejudices. People who choose methadone treatment sometimes experience stigma in the treatment and recovery community. Many doctors, drug treatment providers and other professionals do not have even a basic understanding of methadone treatment for opiate dependence. This is a topic you will need to study a little for yourself if you hope to be an educated consumer.

People who are opiate dependent, and those who love them, should take the time to learn about methadone. This is the only way to be sure that you or someone you love is making an informed decision about treatment and recovery.

Methadone and Suboxone Best Treatment Options for Pregnant Women

Pregnant women who are addicted to heroin or prescription pain relievers should be treated with either methadone or buprenorphine (Suboxone, Subutex). This according to new guidelines recently published by the American Academy of Pediatrics. I wasn’t surprised by the new guidelines, because similar recommendations have already been made by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization, ... Read More

Recovery Essay Contest Winners Talk About Methadone, Naltrexone and Suboxone

Essay contest winners described their addiction recovery in their own words, and explained how medications like methadone, buprenorphine (Suboxone and Probuphine) and naltrexone (Vivitrol) helped them get sober. Over 125 people from the US and the UK entered the essay contest. The winners are: First Prize: Darlene DeMore of (Pennsylvania, USA) Darlene wrote about her methadone treatment and 14 years of recovery. When ... Read More

Methadone Blunts Mood Swings That Could Trigger Relapse

Methadone moderates emotional responses including elation and depression says a new study reported in the science journal Addiction. “Easy Does It” is a common recovery mantra. Emotional stability is especially important for people in early recovery. Both emotional highs and lows can contribute to relapse. For people who are addicted to heroin or other opiates, methadone treatment may support recovery by ... Read More

Pregnant Inmate on Methadone Asks for Early Release to Get Suboxone

Pregnant inmate Ashley Michelle Sligh says that the methadone treatment provided by the Duval County (FL) jail will cause harm to her unborn child. She wants to be released early so that she can switch from methadone to buprenorphine. Medical experts have long recommended methadone treatment for pregnant women who are opiate dependent. But a new study funded by the National Institutes ... Read More

Satisfied Methadone Patients Are Successful Methadone Patients

Methadone Patient Satisfaction is Linked to Treatment Success A recent scientific study of methadone patients confirms what common sense suggests: methadone treatment outcomes are related to patient satisfaction. Methadone patients who are happy with their treatment have better treatment outcomes. Satisfied methadone patients stay in treatment longer and are more successful at reducing or eliminating use of heroin or prescription pain killers. In ... Read More

30 Year Study Confirms Methadone Saves Lives

Edinburgh University researches followed hundreds of people living with addiction to heroin for nearly 30 years. What did they learn? Methadone treatment: reduced the frequency of drug use helped people lead more stable lives reduced the risk of death by 13% each year Why am I not surprised? Because I’ve seen this with my own eyes. And these results are ... Read More

Our Complicated Relationship With Methadone

Relationships are never easy. When it comes to our relationship with methadone, let’s just say it’s complicated. Debby, the Mom at the blog How’s My Son?, recently wrote a post updating her readers on her son’s recovery from addiction to OxyContin and other opiates. Debby is a good Mom and a good person, and I’ve been a fan of her blog for the ... Read More

Series: 10 Things You Should Know About Methadone (Number 10)

10. Methadone treatment is the single most effective treatment for opiate dependence Top experts at the US Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control state that, “methadone maintenance treatment is the most effective treatment for opiate addiction.” Find a link to the CDC Methadone Fact Sheet here: Methadone treatment is an evidence-based treatment. It is not based ... Read More

Series: 10 Things You Should Know About Methadone (Number 9)

9. Methadone-assisted recovery is real recovery People in the recovery community often have strong feelings about methadone. I guess everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But people are are not entitled to their own facts -especially when their misrepresentation of the facts harms other people. People in methadone treatment often face discrimination, even within the recovery community. Some are told ... Read More

Series: 10 Things You Should Know About Methadone (Number 8)

8. Methadone treatment requires a strong commitment to recovery Methadone treatment is a lot of work. But many people make the effort because the treatment works for them and they decide it’s worth the effort. Commitment to overcoming stigma The methadone patient must overcome the stigma that surrounds methadone treatment. They have to get past family and friends who try to ... Read More

Diverted Methadone and Buprenorphine Used for Self-Help Recovery

Prescribed methadone and buprenorphine (Suboxone/Subutex) sometimes becomes diverted (lost, stolen, sold) and ends up in the hands of people who do not have a prescription. A new study found that the overwhelming majority of people who used diverted medication used it either to avoid withdrawal or to stop using heroin. A couple of observations: 1. People didn’t use the diverted medication to ... Read More

Series: 10 Things You Should Know About Methadone (Number 7)

7. Methadone has drug overdose risks and benefits that you should understand Methadone has overdose benefits: Methadone treatment is a highly-effective form of overdose prevention. Participating in methadone treatment reduces overdose risk for opiate dependent people who would otherwise be using heroin, Oxycontin or other opiates. One reason for this is that methadone is a pure medication. We know the contents ... Read More

Series: 10 Things You Should Know About Methadone (Number 6)

6. Methadone is the gold standard treatment for pregnant women who are opiate dependent Update: Recent research and US government guidelines suggest that buprenorphine (Subutex) and methadone are both “gold standard” treatments for pregnant women who are opiate dependent. Of course, a woman in consultation with her doctor should decide the best treatment option in her own particular case. Methadone is the ... Read More

Series: 10 Things You Should Know About Methadone (Number 5)

5. A low methadone dose is not necessarily the best methadone dose. If you want to get the maximum benefit from methadone treatment, then you have to be at the right dose. The preferred term is a “therapeutic dose.” Studies show that most methadone patients have better treatment outcomes at higher doses. In other words, the therapeutic dose is likely to ... Read More

Series: 10 Things You Should Know About Methadone (Number 4)

4. Long term treatment with methadone is better than short term treatment with methadone Let’s review. Opiate dependence is a chronic, relapsing condition. Methadone treats opiate dependence by supporting recovery. It does not cure opiate dependence. With this in mind, it should make sense that longer periods of methadone treatment are better than shorter periods of methadone treatment. Addiction research ... Read More

Series: 10 Things You Should Know About Methadone (Number 3)

3. Opiate dependent people who are in treatment with methadone live longer People who are living with opiate dependence have important choices to make when it comes to drug treatment. One reason to consider methadone is the proven fact that opiate dependent people have better health outcomes if they are in treatment with methadone. General speaking, people who are in treatment ... Read More

Series: 10 Things You Should Know About Methadone (Number 2)

2. Methadone prevents withdrawal, limits cravings and blocks the effects of heroin, oxycontin and other opiates The great thing about methadone is that it supports recovery in three different ways. Triple action! First, methadone prevents withdrawal. This means that you can start treatment and recovery without going through a painful and potentially risky detox. This removes a huge barrier to recovery. Second, ... Read More

Series: 10 Things You Should Know About Methadone (Number 1)

If you or somebody you love is opiate dependent, it’s important that you know about methadone. I say that not because I think methadone is the best treatment for everybody, but because it is an important option to understand if you care about informed treatment decisions. 1. Methadone is a medication used to treat opiate dependence Methadone is a treatment ... Read More

Resources

National Alliance for Medication Assisted Recovery/NAMA/methadone.org

Premier methadone site. Great place to find information about government regulations and policy.

Methadone Support Org/methadonesupport.org

Read here that top experts at the US Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control state that, “methadone maintenance treatment is the most effective treatment for opiate addiction.”

Attention Bloggers and Webmasters: If you have a blog or website, please consider linking to this page whenever you use the word “methadone.” Just turn the word “methadone” into a link and point it to this page. You will help your readers learn more about this important treatment option. Thanks!