Methadone
Rehabilitation Must be Comprehensive and
Lasting
Methadone
rehabilitation must be comprehensive and
lasting in order to lower acute withdrawal
symptoms over the long term. There are many
components to Methadone rehabilitation,
since getting methadone addicts off methadone
may be harder than getting heroin addicts
off heroin. The reason being, methadone
produces a physical dependence and a painful
and prolonged withdrawal.
Although
fraught with the perils of possible overdose
and death by combining methadone with alcohol
or anti-anxiety medications, and by the
sure fire fact that you will acquire a methadone
dependency, methadone use for the treatment
of heroin addiction has been largely successful.
One of the
reasons methadone
use has been called into question is
because of its recent use as a medication
for chronic pain. This occurred due to the
abuse of oxycontin for chronic pain and
the illegal market for it that ensued. Unfortunately,
the pain relief from methadone lasts for
12 hours but the drug stays in your body
for much longer.
The official
line is that the increase of deaths involving
methadone is due to three things:
1. Illicitly
obtained methadone used in excessive or
repetitive doses in an attempt to achieve
euphoric effects.
2. Methadone,
either licitly or illicitly obtained,
used in combination with other prescription
medications, such as benzodiazepines (anti-anxiety
medications), alcohol or other opioids.
3. An
accumulation of methadone to harmful serum
levels in the first few days of treatment
for addiction or pain, before tolerance
is developed.
With those
facts, it is not hard to see why, with the
number of chronic pain patients being included
to the list of methadone users, the number
of deaths involving methadone has increased.
Of course,
while illicit methadone use accounts for
a large number of methadone rehabilitation
patients, the other methadone rehabilitation
patients come from heroin addiction and
chronic pain centers.
Methadone
as a treatment for heroin or pain, may not
work out as the appropriate cure for some
patients. When patients are placed on methadone,
they are constantly critiqued to see if
the methadone is actually improving the
patient’s problem, and if the patient
is compliant with its use. When it is found
not to work, the patient will need methadone
rehabilitation to clear their system of
the methadone dependence that has occurred.
Some of
the people in the methadone rehabilitation
program may even be successful methadone
users who feel hamstrung by their need to
get to the clinic every day for their methadone.
Generally,
methadone rehabilitation should consist
of a compassionate and supportive environment
since the initial part of the program is
where the client will be living for a few
weeks dealing with the mental, emotional,
chemical, and physical changes that will
be occurring. Simultaneously detailed and
accurate individual assessments and programs
need to be made by the staff addressing,
not just the initial detoxification portion
of methadone rehab treatment, but also the
causes of the problems that has brought
the patient to the point of using methadone.
Finding
these causes and solutions are the only
way to make the program work in the long
run. Sometimes dual diagnosis treatment
will be one of the main components of their
treatment since there may be multiple addictions
and multiple mental illnesses to address
and treat.
A
methadone rehabilitation facility should
include extended residential care and lifetime
aftercare services as well as group sessions
and a family program once the initial detoxification
is over. A good methadone rehabilitation
treatment program will also assist with
the critical parts of the client’s
life such as family, employers, school and
the legal system and maintaining sobriety
to help prepare the patient for gradual
re-entry into society.
If
you or someone you know has a problem with
methadone, please contact
us. We’re here to help. Call us
at 1 (800) 626-1980 or request more information.
|
