What are the benefits of Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT)?
The benefits of methadone as a component of a comprehensive treatment program for opioid addiction have been validated by dozens of clinical studies and confirmed by numerous authorities in the addiction treatment field. These include: • A stable maintenance dose of methadone does not make the patient feel either “high” or drowsy (somnolent), so the person can socialize, work or go to school, and generally carry on a normal life. • Methadone can be taken orally once daily or in split doses, helping to limit exposure to injection-borne diseases like hepatitis and HIV. • At adequate doses, methadone’s gradual, long-lasting effects eliminate opioid withdrawal and drug hunger or craving, unlike the rapid ups and downs of short-acting opioids which lead to strong desires for more drugs. • Daily drug-seeking to “feed a habit” becomes unnecessary, and the euphoria-blocking effect of cross-tolerance makes other opioids undesirable. • Once a stable dose is reached, there is little change in tol
