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methadone taper

7 Things You Need to Know About Tapering Off Methadone

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Over 2 million people in the U.S. abuse opioids. Methadone is used as a prescription drug to fight opioid addiction.

Methadone relieves pain and prevents opioid withdrawal symptoms. Most methadone treatment programs keep patients on the drug longterm. This is because research shows that patients on methadone are less likely to relapse.

But what if you’re ready for complete recovery?

Here are 7 things you need to know about tapering off methadone.

Process of Addiction

Pharmaceutical companies convinced doctors that addiction to opioid pain relievers was uncommon. This occurred in the 1990s. This led doctors to prescribe pain medication at greater rates than before.

This caused an uptick in the number of people using opioid medications. Unfortunately, patients with pain often become tolerant to normal doses of medication. They need higher doses of medication to stop the pain.

When their prescription runs out, many patients turn to illegal opioids for self-medication.

Opioids bind to receptors in the brain blocking pain and causing a dopamine rush. The dopamine rush is addictive because it causes pleasure and relaxation. Over time, brain chemistry alters and becomes damaged.

When it comes to weaning from the opioids, methadone is the drug of choice. It prevents withdrawal symptoms because its effects are slower than other painkillers. Weaning from methadone isn’t easy since it’s also an opioid.

Freedom of Choice

Many treatment programs never mention methadone weaning. They prefer indefinite treatment with methadone so patients avoid relapse. This means patients have no choice when it comes to their treatment plans.

That’s unfortunate since long-term methadone use has potential unhealthy side effects. Methadone is also sometimes fatal with thousands of deaths each year from an overdose.

In studies, methadone side effects show that it can affect both memory and learning. In rats, there were brain cell changes even after the methadone was no longer in the body. Attention spans were also shortened.

Tapering Off Methadone

If you’re ready to taper off methadone, what’s the best way?

Never stop methadone treatment cold turkey. Always taper under the supervision of a doctor.

Although methadone eases withdrawal symptoms from other opiates, it also has withdrawal symptoms.

Methadone withdrawal symptoms include:

  • Depression
  • Difficulty sleeping and insomnia
  • Agitation
  • Anxiety
  • Profuse sweating
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Stomach cramps
  • Shivering
  • Rhinorrhea (a runny nose)

Methadone withdrawal symptoms sometimes last longer than opioid withdrawal symptoms.

1. Find a Counselor

You’ll need a counselor or therapist. Many therapists specialize in addiction treatment. Meet with the counselor on a regular basis. If you don’t have the means for a counselor, get into an appropriate 12-step program.

You’ll need a good support system. Sometimes family members aren’t the best support and can even undermine your attempts at detox. Surround yourself with people who won’t sabotage your efforts.

2. Address Life Issues First

Reduce your stress before tapering.

Focus on life basics such as a job, a place to live, and marriage issues first. Work on healthy habits. Work through emotional triggers such as losses caused by opioid use.

Many drug abusers lose everything before getting off drugs and onto methadone maintenance. If these issues aren’t addressed first, opioid relapse is more likely after tapering.

Address the spiritual and emotional problems caused by drug addiction. Get your finances in order.

3. Healthy Lifestyle Changes

Make healthy lifestyle changes. Increase your exercise. Adopt a healthy eating plan with lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and protein.

Stay hydrated by drinking at least half your body weight in water daily. If you weight 150 pounds, drink 75 ounces of water per day.

Take a multivitamin.

4. Be Patient

It could take a year or more when implementing healthy lifestyle changes. Be patient. Don’t begin tapering off methadone until you’re ready. Don’t rush the tapering process itself either.

Tapering off methadone takes about three months. To taper means cutting the dose down every week or every other week.

Overall, tapering from methadone has a success rate between 25-50%. The more prepared you are the more likely you’ll succeed.

If you’re taking 10 mg of methadone once per day, your dose is lowered to 8 mg at the end of week two of tapering. At the end of week four, the dosage is lowered to 6 mg.

The dose is lowered to 4 mg, then 2 mg, and then stopped. Most methadone tapers reduce the drug by about 20% every two weeks.

Research shows that slow tapering is more successful than tapering too fast. Remember that methadone stays in the body for as much as two weeks after the last dose.

The process of tapering may take a few months. But the process of being drug-free lasts a lifetime. Be patient with yourself.

5. Use an Experienced Doctor

Use a doctor with experience in addiction and drug withdrawal. You need a doctor who understands the treatment of withdrawal symptoms.

The doctor can prescribe other medications that help ease withdrawal symptoms. Your doctor may prescribe anti-anxiety medications.

If you’re having nausea and vomiting, the doctor can prescribe anti-emetics. These drugs relieve nausea.

6. Decide Where You’ll Detox

You can detox at home or in a treatment center. There are benefits and risks with both options. The familiarity of home is nice.

But quick access to experienced doctors and nurses in a treatment center is a plus.

Talk to your counselor and doctor about what the best option is for you and your situation.

7. Consider Alternative Adjunct Treatments

Some withdrawal symptoms cause problems of their own. Some patients have trouble sleeping during or after methadone withdrawal.

Sleep deprivation causes its own set of problems. It also sets you up for a drug relapse.

If you’re having trouble with symptoms such as sleeplessness, consider alternatives to drugs. Meditation, prayers, and acupuncture are non-drug alternatives that work well for many patients.

In The End, You Must Persevere!

Detoxing from drugs is difficult. There are no easy solutions or magic pills. Coming off methadone is a process. Set yourself up for success before you start tapering.

Get a good addiction counselor. Address your most difficult life issues and triggers and adopt healthy lifestyle changes. Consider alternative treatments for issues that present during the tapering process.

Now that you’re drug-free, enjoy your life’s journey! Looking for more information about drug addiction and detox? Find more information about opioid addiction here.

Sources

[1] American Psychiatric Association. (2017, January). What Is Addiction? Retrieved from American Psychiatric Association: https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/addiction/what-is-addiction

[2] Medical News Today. (2011, March 24). Possible Harmful Effects From Prolonged Use of Methadone. Retrieved from Medical News Today: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/220086.php

[3] U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2019, January 22). What Is The U.S. Opioid Epidemic? Retrieved from U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: https://www.hhs.gov/opioids/about-the-epidemic/index.html

methadone success

What Is the Success Rate for Methadone Treatment?

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Methadone has been used since the 1960s to help control addiction to opioids. It mainly helps manage treatment for heroin and opioid addicted individuals.

While methadone remains controversial, the methadone success rate is actually fairly high. However, due to myths and rumors surrounding the medication, many people have failed to get the help they need.

In this article, we’ll go over what methadone actually is and discuss the success rate for the medication.

Read on to see if this medication might be right for you in your journey to sobriety.

What is Methadone?

The formal name for the medical is methadone hydrochloride. It is a synthetic opioid that was discovered worked well to help treat those addicted to heroin in 1960s New York when the problem was emerging.

Those who are trying to curb a heroin addiction take methadone at regular intervals to avoid the “craving” they would get without using it.

For many people, this has helped save their lives and get them back on track.

With methadone, they have been able to stay clean, rebuild their lives and examine why they were using heroin in the first place. Methadone allows a heroin addict to do all of these things while learning to live a sober lifestyle.

How Long Do I Use Methadone?

If your doctor has decided methadone will help your addiction, the time you’ll be on the medication will vary. Most people take methadone for around a year. However, there are individuals who take it for years. Some even take methadone for their entire lives.

A doctor must prescribe you methadone and you must be under a physician’s care to take it. Without this, you cannot continue your prescription.

Because methadone is a synthetic opioid, there are individuals that will buy and sell methadone illegally. Although methadone won’t harm your body’s internal organs or system no matter how long you stay on it, using it without a doctor can still be dangerous. If you’re not under a doctor’s supervision, you could take an incorrect amount and run the risk of arrest.

Where Do I Take the Methadone?

When you’re first prescribed methadone, you can only take it at a rehab clinic. You must take it in front of a member of staff. This is to prove you are taking the medication and are not stealing it to sell on the street.

Once you prove trustworthy, you may start to take the medication at home. However, you will still have to report back to the clinic every few days or weeks, depending on how long you’ve taken the medication. This is to monitor you and ensure things are going according to plan.

What is the Methadone Success Rate?

The methadone success rate is 60% to 90%. It should be noted that what people define as success is variable. Some define it as keeping clean, while others may define it as being off all types of drugs entirely. Methadone also has been shown to decrease mortality rates in it’s users from overdose.

Detoxing and not taking any medication to help you on your sobriety journey only has a success rate of 5% to 10%.

Why is Methadone Controversial?

Some programs believe that in order to be “clean” you must not be taking any medication. This would even include taking methadone or similar pills that can help curb the cravings.

There are some programs and rehab centers that not only discourage the use of medication but ban it from their programs. They believe it fosters a dependence on the medication and that you’re replacing one addiction for another.

Methadone has shown to dramatically decrease the risk of drug users relapsing, contracting Hepatitis C and AIDS, using while pregnant, reduces arrests, and improves the chances of the user to be employed or enroll in continuing education.

Still, the stigma that medication is just a “Band-Aid fix” abounds.

Using Methadone Can Also Curb Fatal Relapses

If a patient takes methadone and relapses, it may not necessarily be fatal. Often, a patient who has been clean for a while will relapse on their drug of choice. They might default to an old dose, which is much too high for them now that they’re detoxed. As a result, their “go-to dose” is actually fatal.

Instead, if someone on methadone relapses, their opioid tolerance remains incredibly high. If they do take the same amount of heroin or another drug that they did when they were actively using, they won’t face the same consequences. Instead, they won’t overdose but will be able to tolerate the heroin.

This is actually a lifesaver for individuals who relapse.

Busting the Stigma

Many people on methadone feel that there is an unfair stigma surrounding the drug and they’re not wrong. Many friends and family members also see it as a “Band-Aid” fix or question why they would need to be on the medication for so long.

But, many doctors look at drug addiction as an actual disease. When looking at it this way, it makes sense that someone would need medication to control their disease.

Wrapping Up

The methadone success rate is very high compared to going “cold turkey” or managing without medication. But due to the stigma and some people’s own reticence about pharmaceuticals, they may not want to try a methadone treatment.

If you believe methadone might be the right choice for yourself or a loved one who is suffering from addiction, discuss it with your doctor as soon as possible.

If you’re looking for more quality information on methadone treatment, visit our blog.

You can also give us a call at (855) 976- 2092!

Sources

[1] Is Methadone Treatment for Life? | CRC Health Group. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.crchealth.com/addiction/heroin-addiction-treatment/heroin-detox/methadone_life/

[2] Gossop M , et al. (1989). Lapse, relapse and survival among opiate addicts after treatment. A prospective follow-up study. – PubMed – NCBI. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2597836

[3] Langendam, M., Et al. (2001) The Impact of Harm-Reduction-Based Methadone Treatment on Mortality Among
Heroin Users. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1446673/pdf/11344886.pdf

methadone pills

What to Expect from Addiction Treatment With Methadone Pills

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Opioids claim the lives of 115 Americans every single day. In fact, hundreds of thousands of families in the U.S. mourned the lives of 630,000 people who died from drug overdose between 1999 and 2016.

So, yes, the threat of opioid is real, and it’s as life-threatening as it can get.

Granted, achieving sobriety may seem impossible, especially to those who fear opiate withdrawal symptoms. But the possibility of a losing your life due to overdose is much scarier.

The good news is, you don’t have to become part of the statistics. Treatment through methadone pills can combat narc addiction and let you live a meaningful life once again.

What exactly are these pills though? What can you expect from methadone treatment?

We’ll address all these questions and more in this post, so, read on.

What is Methadone?

Methadone falls under the opiate or narcotic class of analgesic medications. Its roots trace back to the Second World War. Its introduction to the United States led to its wide use as a treatment for people suffering from extreme pain.

In terms of pain treatment, this drug works by altering the processes behind the brain’s and nervous’ system response to pain. To put things in perspective, 31 million Americans are suffering from back pain alone. As if that’s not enough, as much as a third of U.S. adults experience more pain than people from other countries.

No wonder methadone has become a go-to for millions of Americans with chronic pain. But that’s not all that the drug can do.

It now also sees use in the world of addiction treatment. It may sound counter intuitive, but studies confirm its benefits in people recovering from opiate addiction.

How Does Methadone Work?

So… How does methadone treatment help you become sober? First, let’s take a look at how someone feels when on this medication.

As mentioned above, methadone affects the brain’s and nervous system’s pain response processes. These changes then result in relief from pain. Note that the drug needs more time to take effect than more potent painkillers, such as morphine.

Contrary to popular belief, methadone doesn’t deliver “euphoric” effects. In fact, it has the opposite effect; it blocks these highs that codeine, morphine, and oxycodone are notorious for.

It does, however, give similar sensations. But what’s more important is its ability to prevent symptoms associated with opiate withdrawal.

In essence, methadone replaces the more dangerous opioids in a patient’s system with milder or reduced effects. In the world of addiction treatment, this is (or part of) “medication-assisted” or “opioid replacement therapy“.

How Opiate Treatment Works with Methadone Pills

Methadone is available in several forms, with the pill and liquid being the most common. You’ll also find this drug in wafer form.

In most cases, doctors instruct their patients to take the drug once a day. How long before the effects wear off depends on how high the dose is. In general, though, the pain-relieving effects last between four and eight hours.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recommends higher doses of methadone for patients with heroin addiction. According to the organization, higher doses can help them stick to their treatment programs.

Methadone maintenance treatment is more effective when administered as part of a more comprehensive treatment program. That said, it’s best that you also receive counseling and participate in other drug addiction support programs.

You can only receive methadone under physician supervision. This means you can only take the medicine in the presence of a doctor. But once your body has acclimatized to it, such as when you’ve shown consistent progress, you may receive permission for at-home methadone treatment.

Keep in mind that the law only authorizes SAMHSA-certified opioid treatment programs to dispense this drug.

How Long Does Methadone Treatment Last?

There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to methadone treatment. You may need the treatment longer (or shorter) compared to other patients.

However, most doctors opt for a 12-month length of methadone treatment programs. There are even some who need to undergo the treatment for longer than one year.

What’s important is to avoid going cold turkey or suddenly going off the drug. Methadone is still a drug, so a sudden cease of its use can cause withdrawal symptoms. That would only defeat its main purpose.

As such, even if you feel fine and ready to stop treatment, talk to your doctor first. Methadone can pave the way for your opiate recovery, but only if you take it as instructed.

Potential Side Effects

Like with any other medication, methadone side effects can still arise. You should take these seriously, as some of they may warrant professional medical help.

Contact your doctor if you or someone you know on methadone exhibits the following:

  • Shallow breathing or breathing difficulties
  • Lightheadedness
  • Rashes or hives
  • Swelling affecting the throat, tongue, lips, or even the entire face
  • Chest pains
  • Racing or pounding heart
  • Confusion or hallucination

Although methadone is safe (doctors have prescribed it for many years now), some people may have adverse reactions to it. So, keep a lookout for these side effects of methadone and react promptly if you notice them.

A Promising Outlook

Without treatment, those who have an addiction to opioid has a 90 percent chance of relapse. Medication, such as methadone pills, cut this rate by half. However, methadone patients need to continue their medication as directed, or they also run the risk of relapsing.

As such, you need to prepare yourself for long-term treatment with methadone. It may take a year or more, but the benefits that you’ll enjoy are more than worth it.

If you’re ready to talk about your opiate addiction or know someone who needs intervention, don’t wait until it’s too late to get help. You should also check out our methadone blogs to find out more about methadone treatment.

You can also give us a call at  (855) 976- 2092.

Sources

[1] Understanding the Epidemic | Drug Overdose | CDC Injury Center. (2018, December 19). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/epidemic/index.html
[2] Back Pain Facts and Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.acatoday.org/Patients/Health-Wellness-Information/Back-Pain-Facts-and-Statistics
[3] Khazan, O. (2017, December 20). Why Americans Have More Pain Than People in Other Countries. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/12/america-experiences-more-pain-than-other-countries/548822/
[4] Bart G. (2012). Maintenance medication for opiate addiction: the foundation of recovery. Journal of addictive diseases, 31(3), 207-25. Retrieved From https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3411273/
[5] Methadone | SAMHSA – Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2015, 28). Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/medication-assisted-treatment/treatment/methadone