Top 10 Benefits of Methadone Maintenance Treatment
By Staff Writer
There is a lot of talk in addiction recovery circles about methadone, Suboxone, and other drugs for a medically assisted detox from opiates like heroin. Are they safe and effective? Do they accomplish anything that an addict can’t achieve on his own?
Methadone is a popular treatment for heroin addiction, and for good reason. The following are just a few of the reasons so many individuals have successfully used methadone to reclaim their lives from the throes of addiction.
1. Proven Effective – Methadone is one of the safest, most effective treatments of narcotic withdrawal and dependence available today. A synthetic narcotic that has been used for more than 30 years to treat opioid addiction, methadone has been rigorously tested and proven effective in clinical trials and scientific research.
2. Affordable Treatment for Opiate Addiction – In addition to being safe and effective, methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is one of the most affordable options available to opiate addicts. On average, methadone maintenance treatment costs roughly $4,000 per patient per year, whereas residential drug rehab can cost upwards of $20,000 per year. In addition to providing a daily dose of methadone, some of the best methadone clinics and heroin treatment programs offer counseling as well as social and rehabilitation services.
3. Less Painful Withdrawal, Fewer Drug Cravings – Withdrawing from heroin is a painful and sometimes dangerous process. Medically prescribed methadone has been proven to relieve withdrawal symptoms, reduce opiate cravings, and return the body’s normal biochemical balance. When individuals start using heroin, their brains require a constant supply of opiates to occupy the receptors in the brain. Methadone occupies these receptors, blocking the high heroin provides and making the user feel more stable.
4. Better Family Stability – Even though addicts on methadone maintenance remain physically dependent on an opioid (methadone), they do not experience the euphoric rush of using heroin. As a result, they demonstrate fewer of the compulsive, disruptive behaviors characteristic of heroin addicts. This enhanced ability to function translates into a more peaceful family life, an improved ability to establish and maintain healthy relationships, and greater reliability for friends and family.
5. Ability to Work, Go to School – Methadone allows recovering addicts the stability to return to work or school and fulfill their normal responsibilities, without experiencing harsh withdrawal symptoms or drug cravings which often lead to relapse. Methadone does not have a sedative or intoxicating effect and doesn’t impair the user’s ability to drive or complete other ordinary tasks, making full-time work or school possible.
6. Reduced Criminal Activity – Once freed from the extreme highs and lows of heroin abuse and the accompanying drug cravings, recovering addicts are much less likely to commit crimes in an effort to obtain and use drugs. Rates of hospitalization are also lower for methadone patients than for addicts in other types of drug treatment programs.
7. Reduced Risk of Overdose and Disease Transmission – Methadone is usually taken orally once a day and lasts 24-36 hours (four to six times as long as heroin). Federal regulations require methadone clinics and health care professionals to closely monitor the distribution of methadone. As such, the risk of overdose is extremely low. Because the addict is not using injection needles, sharing needles, or engaging in prostitution or risky sexual behaviors (common behaviors of heroin addicts), there is also lower risk of acquiring or transmitting diseases such as HIV, hepatitis B or C, tuberculosis, STDs, and others.
8. Healthier Pregnancies – Heroin use has devastating effects on the fetus during pregnancy, but so does withdrawal. Opiate withdrawal substantially increases the risk of spontaneous abortion and premature birth. Pregnant women have been successfully treated with methadone for more than 25 years. Although no opiate drug is completely safe for mother or fetus, studies suggest methadone is generally quite safe and the benefits of methadone treatment during pregnancy far outweigh the risks.
9. A Balanced Life Free From Illegal Drugs – Methadone allows people to reduce and eventually eliminate heroin use from their lives. The Treatment Outcome Prospective Study (TOPS), one of the largest controlled studies of drug treatment, found that patients drastically reduced their heroin use while in methadone treatment. Methadone is a legal drug produced by pharmaceutical companies using quality control standards, and is administered following strict guidelines.
10. Safe for Short- or Long-Term Use – When used as prescribed, methadone can safely be taken continuously over a period of weeks, months, and even years without harsh side effects for a slower and less painful withdrawal. Treatment is based on the needs and desires of the individual client, allowing the addict to create a recovery plan that is right for him.
Heroin addiction is associated with a range of negative behaviors including crime, death, and disease. Beating heroin addiction is never easy, but with methadone maintenance treatment, there is no reason to undergo a painful and potentially life-threatening detox on your own. Call the National Resource Center at (877) 637-6237 any time, 24 hours a day, to find out if methadone treatment is right for you.
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