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Methadone Effects

Heroin is a serious drug, but so is Methadone. Methadone effects can be similar to the effects of heroin on an user and many people do not understand the difference. The only real difference between the two is that methadone is a manufactured drug and heroin comes from the sap of a poppy.

Methadone has certain effects on the user. The high is very similar to a heroin high, and is described as a cross between heroin and morphine. Since it is an opiate, if too much is taken at one time, the user will feel extremely nauseous and may even throw up.

If the dosage of methadone is correct, the user will feel the high, but will not feel the desire to want to use heroin. This is the purpose of physicians prescribing methadone to their patients, but the effect for some users is that they instead become addicted to methadone.

It is entirely possible to have an overdose on methadone just as a person would on any other drug, so it is important to ensure that the proper dosage is taken. When a person takes too much of this drug, they can have a wide range of symptoms, and they include heart palpitations and sweating profusely. A person who is high on the drug can also experience pain relief if they suffer from chronic pain.

For heroin addicts, methadone is a better choice because it is in a pill form or liquid that can be swallowed and does not need to be injected. Each time an addict injects they risk infection from HIV, hepatitis C or hepatitis B when they use or share dirty needles with other users. Generally, this drug is administered in a controlled environment which means that it is not cut with any other additives or fillers and should not have any adverse effects on the user when used properly.

When a dose is taken by an user, methadone effects last as long as 24 hours, meaning that the person using it only needs to take a single dose each day. The single dose should be the means to controlling the effect of withdrawal, and methadone prevents the serious effects of heroin withdrawal. A person who is using methadone to remove their addiction to heroin has a better chance of living a normal lifestyle including holding down a job.

Heroin addicts spend a lot of time worrying about where they are going to find their next dose because if the levels of the opiate are not kept up a person will start to go into withdrawal which is very uncomfortable. Not having to worry about where the next dose is coming from can help people to get on with their lives and start to return back to the land of the living.

Methadone is a lot less costly than heroin and the money that the addict saves on drugs can help them to have money to spend on other important things, such as food and shelter. The purpose of methadone is to remove the heroin addiction, but some users of methadone become addicted to the very substance that was meant to help them.

Long term heavy methadone users can experience methadone effects such as loss of sexual drive, constipation, heavy sweating and women can stop having their menstrual cycle. If a person is taking too much methadone, this usually means that they are "beating the system" by having more than one prescription or purchasing extra methadone from somewhere else.

Methadone withdrawal can be just as traumatic as withdrawal from heroin and the variety of symptoms include extreme stomach cramps, runny nose, insomnia, diarrhoea, yawning, severe joint pain, muscle pain and paranoia. These symptoms will start to occur after the last dose wears off and may last as long as six days.

If you or someone you know is addicted to methadone, you need to seek treatment from a drug addiction counsellor and consider checking into a rehab facility. The only way to quit your addiction to opiates is to stop using them, and replacing heroin for methadone is only a temporary measure. If one becomes addicted to methadone, then they have a new addiction that they need to deal with.

Facts

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