How does methadone work?
The right methadone maintenance dose doesn’t make you feel “high” or “drugged”, like other opioids do, so you can lead a normal life. Methadone’s gradual, long-lasting effects – 24 hours or more – take away the hunger or craving for other opioid drugs. Methadone is taken by mouth once a day, so you avoid using injection needles with their risks of diseases like hepatitis and HIV. It helps you to live a healthier and better life, free of illegal drugs.
Methadone, an opiate agonist, acts like morphine and other narcotic medications. Herion addicts are physically dependent on opiates and will experience withdrawal symptoms if the concentration of opiates in their bodies falls below a certain level. In methadone maintenance treatment, patients receive enough methadone to ward off opiate withdrawal symptoms, but not enough to induce a narcotic high. Q: Does methadone make patients “high” or interfere with normal functioning? No. In proper doses, methadone does not create euphoria, sedation or analgesia. It does not harm motor skills, mental capability or employability. Q: What is the proper dose? Dosage must be individually determined, depending on metabolism, body weight and opiate tolerance. The proper maintenance dose is one at which narcotic craving is averted – without creating euphoria, sedation or analgesia. Q: Is methadone more addictive than heroin? Physical dependence and tolerance to a drug are part of addiction, but they’re n
Methadone is an opiate agonist that has a series of actions similar to those of morphine and other narcotic medications. In maintenance treatment, patients are given enough methadone to ward off opiate withdrawal symptoms, but not enough to induce narcotic effects. Q: Does methadone make patients “high” or interfere with normal functioning? A: No. Used in proper doses in maintenance treatment, methadone does not create euphoria, sedation, or analgesia. Methadone has no adverse effects on motor skills, mental capability, or employability. Q: How long should methadone treatment last? A: Generally, the length of time spent in treatment is positively related to treatment success. The duration of treatment should be individually determined. Treatment should last for as long as the counselor, physician and patient agree is appropriate. Q: Is it safe to take methadone during pregnancy? A: Yes. Methadone maintenance treatment during pregnancy does not impair the child’s developmental and cogni
