How long will I be on Methadone/Suboxone?
Treatment is a very individual process and change takes time. For patients with chronic pain issues who must be treated with opiate based pain medication and who have become addicted to opiates, methadone offers hope over the long haul. In the absence of chronic pain issues, people can participate in a Medically Supervised Withdrawal (MSW) plan and work towards total abstinence. There are no set time frames for beginning MSW but there are some objective criteria that research cites as a good basis for decision making and succesfull outcomes. CDHS provides an MSW assesssment that helps gauge one’s condition and chances of success against known outcomes. As a general rule, most of the people who are successful (do not return to active use) proactively work a recovery plan and participate in counseling, goal setting, and making lifestyle changes for about 1 1/2 to 2 years before attempting MSW. Fundamental to the understanding that Methadone is maintenance treatment is the concept that op
