Clinically Reviewed on 07/12/2023 10:00 am by Dr. Olalekan Otulana (Advanced Practitioner) All information on this page has been reviewed and verified by a certified addiction professional.
Prescribed as a synthetic opioid substance, methadone is recommended as both a pain reliever and a motivator within drug withdrawal, such as heroin detoxification. While it’s a drug in itself, carefully distributed through medical settings, methadone is used to block out pain signals through the central nervous system, ideal to manage pain disorders and drug withdrawal symptoms.
Yet, while it carries high credibility through medical usage, it’s also a Class A opiate drug, illegally abused through independent consumption and distribution. Due to the makeup of methadone, very similar to other opioid drugs, it is addictive, supporting its regulated medical use. However, through street distribution and open accessibility, many methadone addictions do develop through illicit consumption.
Methadone is extremely powerful, down to the fact that it blocks out pain. However, it also induces many unbearable side effects, such as sedation, sleep problems and dizziness, while also associated with acute overdose risks. Yet through its power, its consumption continues, developing a methadone addiction.
If you’re unknowingly placing yourself at risk of harm from methadone abuse, it’s time to consider professional help. Through methadone addiction treatment & rehab therapies, withdrawal and recovery can be aimed for. At Asana Lodge, we’re here to help through our private drug and alcohol rehab clinic, offering appropriate treatments and therapies to curb methadone addiction.
Although viewed as a safe, prescription drug, methadone abuse is rife and dangerous, reflecting the consequences of drug addiction. Avoid this by detoxing, recovering, and preparing through relapse prevention.
A synthetic opioid, methadone is prescribed for severe pain and also to treat heroin and morphine addictions. This is because it acts in the same way as morphine and heroin while reducing withdrawal symptoms. Methadone requires careful monitoring and guidance from a medical professional.
In instances where methadone is used to treat addiction, doctors and nurses will slowly reduce the amount taken to withdraw the individual safely. When methadone is used for pain relief, patients will be assessed and only prescribed minimal amounts to prevent dependence or tolerance.
The prescribed amount will be slowly reduced until the pain is better.
Methadone is viewed as safe, as it is prescribed and used to combat further drug addictions, seen within the detoxification phase, to slowly wean users off the likes of heroin. Its medical role, therefore, depreciates its hazardous image.
However, methadone is an opioid, synthetic drug, which is also illegally abused, which is how many methadone addiction diagnoses develop. Its effects curb and deter the effects of other opioid substances, acting as a barrier. Yet its lone presence is known to influence sedation and relaxation, which are both key addictive attributes.
As it’s a central nervous system depressant, it slows down brain activity and adapts messaging throughout the system, which through appropriate medical use is effective. Yet through illegal abuse, methadone can be highly addictive through this connection, especially for those with previous histories of opiate addiction.
Whether abused independently or by mixing with additional substances, methadone can be extremely dangerous with its effects on the brain and on the body. Considering methadone addiction treatment & rehab programmes will be the next best step towards addiction recovery.
Methadone addiction effects are both physical and psychological. The signs that someone is using methadone do resemble many other symptoms of drug addiction. Yet no matter how common, this shouldn’t take away how serious methadone abuse can become.
Signs and symptoms of methadone addiction include:
Through increasing methadone exposure, to encounter greater effects, addiction can easily develop. Some of the above signs are expected through such advancement, which may seem easy to mask with greater methadone consumption. Yet by following such a route, your methadone addiction will aggravate. Instead, methadone addiction treatment via residential rehab will be the easiest step.
As with any drug or alcohol, there is always a risk of being addicted to it. Prescription drug addiction can soon take its toll on your health, family life, career, relationships, and finances. For this reason, it’s important that you get the right help – whether you’re concerned about your own behaviour or someone else’s.
When a doctor prescribes methadone, it must go through stringent checks, and the individual will be monitored regularly. Those who obtain methadone illegally can’t be sure what is in it. Other risks include overdose, sickness, stomach issues, dizziness, and long-term health conditions, including organ disease and failure.
Like any addiction, methadone addiction is classified as a serious health condition and requires support and guidance from a team of doctors, nurses, counsellors, and mental health experts. Without drug rehab, the chances of getting clean can be very low.
Detoxification via a private methadone rehab will be a must if you’re addicted to methadone. This is down to how strong the drug is, as without medical assistance, it will be very hard to overcome.
While withdrawal symptoms are expected through detox, down to how impactful the drug is on the body and brain, comfort and control can be vouched for through professional rehabilitation services. This cannot be said for lone attempts, which are highly discouraged, no matter how moderate your methadone consumption and addiction may be.
Detoxing from methadone will be the starting point of rehab, ideally commencing residential addiction treatment, to remove all traces of the drug, ready for psychological efforts.
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As opioid drugs impact the central nervous system, methadone addiction treatment and rehab steps are a must in order to detach from the drug. Methadone will create such false counts of reality, down to its sedative-like effects, meaning that restorative efforts must be focused on, through the mind.
It’s also important to unravel the cause of addiction, along with the emotional responses linked to consumption. Somewhere within your addiction journey, an association will have been made between consumption and its effects. The likes of cognitive behavioural therapy, exposure therapy and art therapy will work to uncover this association, while the likes of support groups, stress management and dual diagnosis will help you heal from such association.
Methadone addiction recovery is a testing yet worthwhile journey to work through. Going through drug detox, understanding, changing, developing, and planning are all possible through rehab, leading you towards relapse prevention. Combining your efforts can help you recover on physical and psychological levels.
It’s natural to view the likes of methadone as safe, down to its place in medical practice. However, it’s also a regulated drug, which is effective through controlled settings. Without that control, it can be very damaging and addictive. Work through any addictive tendencies by completing methadone addiction treatment & rehab programmes here at Asana Lodge.
Any drug addiction can be challenging to overcome, and trying to quit methadone can result in withdrawal symptoms – which are difficult and dangerous to manage. For this reason, an addiction recovery treatment centre is often the only choice if you want to improve.
Surrounded by a team of medical professionals and counsellors experienced in addiction and recovery, you’ll be guided to combat physical addiction while using a range of therapy and treatment to identify triggers and emotional dependencies. Behavioural and psychological therapy will help you to recognise unhealthy behaviour, and holistic and wellbeing advice will help you to come up with new and healthier coping mechanisms.
When you choose an inpatient rehabilitation, sometimes referred to as a private drug and alcohol rehab centre like the one offered at Asana Lodge, you’ll have 24/7 access to state-of-the-art facilities and your own accommodation to call home. You can give your recovery your full focus away from temptation and influence, and many experts believe that inpatient rehab has the highest long-term success rates.
Another benefit of rehab is that you’ll be supported through a medically assisted detox. Detox is when you come off a certain drug and is the process of any substance leaving your body.
As your body has built up a dependence for the substance, withdrawing from it can result in a number of side effects such as sickness, stomach issues and flu-like symptoms. Lots of people try to detox at home but struggle with the side effects and return to the drug. At a rehab centre like Asana Lodge, a medical team will support you through the detox process – regularly monitoring you to ensure you’re coping. Plus, they can even prescribe medication to ease the symptoms. Detoxing in a rehab centre is the safest and often the most successful way to detox; this is an essential part of your recovery.
Together, we can build a future that you’ve always dreamed of, and it could even begin today. Call us on 01908 489 421.
Methadone is a treatment for pain relief and drug detoxification when considering extremely addictive and strong substances. It’s prescribed through medical, controlled treatments where it’s highly effective. Yet through illegal consumption, methadone is highly addictive, as guidelines and intentions of use abuse such recommendations. Extreme levels of methadone will usually be abused through an addiction, ranking is as hazardous and toxic, rather than effective.
As both rehab and residential treatment come to an end, clients will transition from rehab back to a sense of normality. However, as this can be a vulnerable time, aftercare is offered to strengthen relapse prevention planning. While you’ll be recovering independently through an outpatient setting, you will however have support and guidance, along with further addiction treatment sessions to ensure that you’re maintaining sobriety.
Through illegal consumption, a methadone addiction can be caused by a variety of internal or external factors. However, commonly, the effects that methadone induces through uncontrollable abuse are the triggers for ongoing consumption, which kickstarts the addiction cycle.
As methadone is a central nervous system depressant, it creates such adaptations internally, which reflects externally through behaviours and choices. The choice to consume methadone is normalised, justifying ongoing consumption, ultimately driving a methadone addiction.
Developing a methadone addiction will likely be out of your control. Yet you can look to control your future by completing methadone addiction treatment & rehab here at Asana Lodge. Reach out for more information on our programmes and about our therapies, all following holistic approaches.
Dr. Olalekan Otulana (Advanced Practitioner) - Clinical Reviewer - Last Reviewed: 07/12/2023 10:00 am
Dr. Otulana is a highly skilled General Practitioner and Addiction Specialist. He possesses extensive expertise in the field of Substance Misuse Management and boasts a diverse background in evaluating, overseeing (including detox procedures), and overseeing the residential recovery of individuals grappling with various drug and substance addiction issues. His primary goal is to conduct thorough assessments of patients dealing with addiction issues and determine their medical detoxification and psychological treatment requirements. Dr. Otulana is well-versed in caring for patients who need dual drug and alcohol detoxification therapies.
In addition to his medical qualifications, Dr. Otulana is a proficient healthcare professional who holds a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degree from the prestigious Cambridge University Judge Business School.
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