Methadone has been used to facilitate opioid addiction (OUD) and drug addiction treatment for decades. According to Harvard Medical School/Harvard Health Publications, at least 100,000 people who previously struggled with heroin addictions regularly used methadone as a substitution therapy or replacement medication.
Methadone treatment helps to manage the patient’s withdrawal symptoms and reduces cravings by replacing a drug of choice with another opiate. It’s considered a safe patient therapy when supervised by medical professionals and in addition with other therapies.
Methadone treatment helps to manage the patient’s withdrawal symptoms and reduces cravings by replacing a drug of choice with another opiate. It’s considered a safe patient therapy when supervised by medical professionals and in addition with other therapies.
Methadone Treatment Goals
The ultimate recovery goal of the patient using methadone treatment is a normal, sober life. As they start taking methadone under a physician’s care, the patient may benefit from a range of substance abuse treatments, educational assistance, vocational counseling, and personal/group therapy. As their health approves, they may search for other supportive social services to benefit themselves and their families.
According to researchers at Harvard Medical School, one-fourth of methadone treatment users completely abstain from methadone use over time. Another one-fourth of people in methadone treatments use it as maintenance therapy. The remaining half of patients studied ceased using methadone in maintenance but returned to its use after they entered a subsequent drug abuse treatment program.