Methadone Addiction

Heroin addiction became prevalent in the 1990's and many people found themselves in the grip of the effects of it. Methadone is a synthetic drug that is designed to replace the urges and cravings for heroin, because users of heroin need to take up to four doses per day to feed their addiction and prevent the sickness that withdrawal causes when they are not taking heroin.

Many clinics have sprung up across the country that offer methadone to heroin addicts in order to encourage them to reduce their use and dependency on heroin. The issue is that methadone addiction is becoming more commonplace as many heroin users are seeing it as a free way to get a legal high that they can take any time they need one.

Methadone is generally only required once per day, but that does not stop a person with a methadone addiction from going to several clinics to receive their daily dose of methadone. The problem is that these clinics in most cases are treating an addiction by replacing it with another addiction that is just as dangerous.

If a person uses methadone on a regular basis, they will develop a physical dependency to is, because it is an opiate, even if it is synthetic. Once a person stops taking methadone, they will suffer with the symptoms of withdrawal. If a person has a methadone addiction and suddenly stops taking the drug or has their access cut off, they may experience many symptoms.

Some of the symptoms that a person with a methadone addiction will experience include: contracted pupils, constipation, drowsiness, low blood pressure, weakened pulse, disorientation, difficulty breathing, bluish colored skin, difficulty breathing, stomach spasms, muscle spasms, blue fingernails and lips and a supressed cough reflex. Women who are regular users of this drug may stop having menstrual periods.

Many hard core heroin addicts have said that they have kicked heroin, thanks to methadone, but now they have a methadone addiction, and that is something that they can never quit. Most methadone users are under close medical supervision, but this does not mean that they are not addicted to the very drug that they have been prescribed to stop the addiction of heroin or any other opiate, like oxycodone.

If a person has a regular prescription to methadone and then suddenly has their supply cut off, they will start to go through withdrawal symptoms, including disorientation, muscle pain and spasm, thoughts of suicide, jittery feelings, severe contractions of the muscles in the arms and legs, sweats, diarrhea and hallucinations.

Just because methadone is a synthetic drug does not make the addiction to it or the withdrawal from it any less serious than an addiction to heroin. The addition to an opiate is a life threatening matter and if you or a loved one are suffering through an opiate addiction, then you need to get help immediately. An addiction counsellor and detox center can help you to work through the withdrawal symptoms and will see to it that you are safe and in a location where you are under proper medical care and supervision.

The withdrawal from opiates is dangerous, scary and can be life threatening. If a person who is taking methadone is suddenly unable to have access to the drug, they may overdose on other drugs in trying to lessen the withdrawal symptoms that they will experience.

Just because methadone is prescribed by the medical profession does not make it harmless and acceptable. If you or someone you love has an addiction, it is simply a tool to help you to work towards sobriety. Substituting one drug for another is not the answer, and many people fail to realize the purpose behind taking methadone.

Methadone addiction is as serious as an addiction to any drug, and it is important to realize that the person who is taking this drug has a problem. This is not a problem that can be solved by you or by anyone close to that person. An addict requires professional help in an environment where they will receive the care and supervision that is needed to guide them through the process of removing their addiction and helping them to move forward with a drug free lifestyle.