What is Methadone Used for?

Uses for Methadone

Why is Methadone Used in Addiction Treatment?

Drug addiction and the process of stopping using drugs are ongoing. The first step is to prevent the use of the drug, whether it be an opioid, alcohol, cocaine, meth, or any other substance. But stopping use is just the beginning. Addiction is a chronic, relapsing disease, and just like other chronic diseases such as asthma, diabetes, or arthritis, there isn’t a cure. However, with daily maintenance, addiction can be managed and anyone who has a drug addiction can live happy, abundant lives free from the devastating cycle of a substance use disorder.

The first step in reclaiming one’s life is stopping the use of the drug or drugs. Often medications can be helpful in this stage. Medications, like methadone, help in this process. The effects of methadone can help with uncomfortable, often debilitating withdrawal symptoms, support an individual staying in treatment, and also help to prevent relapse.

Discontinuing narcotic drug use such as the use of opioids can be difficult. From anxiety, sleeplessness, nausea, depression, and other issues, the body will crave using the drug again. Often these cravings are very challenging to overcome without the help of a medication such as methadone. Medications like methadone can help the body to adapt by slowing drug cravings and having a calming impact on the body.

Why is this Medication Prescribed?

Methadone is used to relieve severe pain in people who are expected to need pain medication around the clock for a long time and who cannot be treated with other medications. It is also used to prevent withdrawal symptoms in individuals addicted to opiate drugs and are enrolled in treatment programs to stop taking or continue not taking the drugs. Methadone is in a class of medications called opiate (narcotic) analgesics. Methadone works to treat pain by changing how the brain and nervous system respond to pain. In addition, it works to treat people who were addicted to opiate drugs by producing similar effects and preventing withdrawal symptoms in people who have stopped using these drugs.

What Special Precautions Should I Follow?

Before taking methadone,

What Happens if I Overdose?

As a powerful Opioid, Methadone can cause an overdose. An overdose occurs when someone takes too much of the medication, often without a prescription or beyond medical limits. An overdose is a dangerous situation that requires medical attention, so it’s important to recognize the signs.

All opioids have a risk of overdose. The risk is higher with methadone than with buprenorphine. The risk is especially high when you start treatment and stop taking opioids (methadone or other opioids) for a while and then start again. Mixing opioids with other drugs also increases the risk of overdose. If you or someone you know uses opioids, it is a good idea to have a free naloxone kit. Naloxone is a medication that can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose and allow time for medical help to arrive.

Are You Abusing Methadone? 

While Methadone is used as a way to curb addiction and reduce cravings, it is a heavily-regulated drug. It is so regulated that patients who have been prescribed Methadone in an outpatient setting have to go to a clinic every day to be administered their dose. It is a powerful Opiate with potentially addictive qualities. People who start using Methadone to overcome their Heroin addiction are at a higher risk of abuse because they already have a history of Opioid dependency. Some addicts, in fact, prefer Methadone as their substance of choice. Any time someone uses more Methadone than they are prescribed, or uses it without a prescription, they are abusing the medication.

Now that you’ve answered the question “what is methadone used for?”, it is important to follow the special precaution to avoid overdose. Methadone abuse can be difficult to overcome alone. Fortunately, you don’t have to do it alone. If you’ve tried to quit in the past but ended up using methadone again, that’s a clear sign you need professional help. Get them the safest help they need and deserve. Our team at We Level Up NJ specializes in creating an ideal environment and providing effective therapies.

Alumni Coordinator, Nicole Baxter’s Methadone Addiction Recovery Journey With Support From Daughter Video

Nicole Baxter’s Addiction Recovery Story and Testimonial Video

“I’m here with the Nicole Baxter, one of our alumni coordinators.

What does your bottom look like?

My bottom was like a spiritual bottom. I was I wanted to die every day. I was putting a lot of drugs in my system every day, trying to make the pain go away. And it wasn’t going away anymore. So I was using for no reason anymore, because when I first started using, that’s what that was for, was to make it all go away. And it was still there. So it was like a spiritual bottom for me. I felt dead inside, and I was looking for a way out. So I prayed really hard that night, and my brother a few days later called me.

How long were you in treatment for?

A long time. I went to detox for almost a month because I was on methadone when I came down here, so my detox was painful when I finally came.

Knowing that I was away from them was hard to deal with because it was like a reality check. It was the hardest part of getting sober.

It was my biggest excuse prior to coming to not like that was my excuse. Like, I can’t go to treatment, I can’t be away my kids, but, like, I wasn’t a mom anyway, so I was getting high every day, you know? And I struggled with telling my daughter the truth about where I was. She thought that I had just comedown here to visit her uncle.

It wasn’t until I was in, like, IOP one afternoon, my therapist had me go outside and make a phone call, and I told her that I had come down for detox. And in my head, I thought that she was gonna hate me. But it was the best conversation ever. All she said to me was, Mummy, I just want you to get better. I’m just happy that you’re getting better.

What is your life like today? In sobriety, in recovery?

I’m happy, sober happier than I was high. And I thought that I’d never be happy sober. I didn’t think it was possible.

What do you do for your recovery every day? I have sponsees that I talk to on a daily basis, so I give back what I was given, which is what I think keeps me sober at most. I go to meetings, I work in treatment. So I’m like hands on with clients all daylong, people that are right where I was. So I try my best to use my story to help them get to a better place.

Oh, yeah.”

Does Addiction Rehab Work?

The success of treatment can vary from person to person, but longer stays in treatment frequently lead to better outcomes. Long-term rehabilitation is rarely aided by detox alone. Is treatment effective? Compared to not attending treatment, attending treatment boosts a person’s chances of long-term recovery.