Methadone is another drug under the class of opioids. It was first created during World War II by the German medical personnel. Aside from treating medium to intense pain, this drug is also used for medicating dependence from other opioids such as heroin.
The brand name of this drug is Dolophine while its generic name is methadone tablets. This drug also has several street names which differ from various locales depending on their culture.
Street names are used to cover the real identity of the drug when an illegal transaction happens. Some of its common street names are juice, chocolate chip cookies, Maria, metho, meth, done, dolls, dollies, fizzies, amidone, and more.
It is very easy to spot this drug in stores and pharmacies because of its distinct physical appearance. For instance, Dolophine are available in 5 mg and 10 mg dosages in white round tablet forms. It has a pill imprint of “54 162” and “54 549”, respectively.
Another example, Methadose also exist in tablet forms with white color and round in shape. It is also available in 5 mg and 10 mg dosages with a pill imprint of “Methadose 5” and “Methadose 10”, respectively.
Other forms of this drug can be in capsule or liquid form depending on the manufacturer of the drug.
Methadone, How They Work
Methadone works the same way as the other opioid drugs. It relieves pain by attaching itself in the opioid receptors where it prevents pain signals from going into the brain.
Likewise, to further reinforce its pain relief action, this substance also stimulates the secretion of dopamine in the brain. This hormone and brain chemical is responsible for the happy or pleasurable feeling experienced by people.
In terms of strength, this drug is 4 times stronger than morphine when orally taken. Consequently, a 5-milligram dosage of this drug is equal to the strength of 20 milligrams of morphine.
Furthermore, when a person uses this drug, it takes around 24 hours before half of the original amount digested or absorbed is flushed out from the body.
Addiction and Dangers
Considering this drug is used to counter the addiction caused by other opioid substances, it is treated as a lesser threat and has a lower risk factor for addiction.
The potency of this substance is comparable to that of heroin, which still indicates strict regulation regarding its dosage to an individual. It is an excellent medication to stop addiction from heroin and other opioids but one needs to have proper supervision from medical personnel.
A person who starts taking this drug will experience side effects which intensify if the intake lasts for a longer duration. Once taken for a short while, a person will experience the following short-term side effects: dizziness, erectile dysfunction, drying of the mouth, difficulty to release all urine from the bladder, stomach cramps, and hallucinations.
Meanwhile, if the duration of using this drug has been for a long time already, then the person suffers the heavier side effects of the drug. The common long-term side effects of this drug include the inability to focus, suicidal behavior, depression, psychosis, and irregular sleeping patterns.
It is also best to know the signs when a person is having an overdose with this drug. This enables one to apply early first aid treatments and preventions to avoid further complications. Some of the common signs of an overdose are short breaths, frequent convulsions, cold sweaty skin, pinpoint pupils, and low blood pressure. In 2016, around 5,420 death counts have been attributed by a methadone overdose.
Medications and Treatments
In order to ensure success and effectiveness of any treatment plan, the patient must accept the need for external help to recover from addiction. This is needed to avoid any barriers from smoothly doing all the steps in a treatment program.
There are two major classes of rehab treatment program: inpatient and outpatient treatment program. Choosing which type suits best depends on a few factors such as financial capacity, availability of quality rehab centers, work or study status of the patient, and the nature of addiction.
For this kind of addiction, an inpatient treatment program is the best option. It might be costly compared to the outpatient program but the patient will have 24-hour medical assistance and monitoring. This will ensure proper care and monitoring is done on the patient’s recovery status.
Like any other treatment program, the first step is a gradual decrease in the dosage of methadone until one completely stops from using it. Along the way, the detoxification process can be applied to remove residues in the body.
It is a fact, that withdrawal symptoms can be felt by the person upon gradual abstinence from the drug. Some of the common withdrawal symptoms include difficulty sleeping, nasal congestion, muscle spasm, highly irritable, vomiting, stomach cramps, and cold creeps.
Methadone is used to counter opioid addiction but a dependence from this drug calls for another medication to be used. Consequently, Suboxone is prescribed to patients to counter the effects of this opioid substance.
Suboxone is composed of two active ingredients: buprenorphine and naloxone. The effects of the two compounds are to decrease the addictive sensation of methadone.
Buprenorphine works by attaching itself in the opioid receptors and decreases the impact of the opioid substance. Whereas, Naloxone prevents these opioid substances from binding on the receptor sites.
These medications are prescribed to cure the biological damage caused by these substances. It tries to balance hormones and improve brain communication pathways to re-establish focus and cognition.
Aside from that, therapies are also included to reinforce positive behaviors to hasten the recovery process. The two main categories of therapies used in every treatment program are individual and group counseling.
The individual therapies aim to help the patient further understand one’s condition. Likewise, the therapist assists the patient in formulating positive coping mechanisms to counter these triggers.
Whereas, Group Counseling is intended to promote the socialization skills of the patient. Each member of the group gets to share their experiences in dealing with the condition. Moreover, the group does community service as a means to show their social responsibility as functional members of society.
