Methadone Drug Rehabs

Methadone drug rehabs are currently needed more than ever in the U.S., as doctors are increasingly prescribing methadone for pain management; additionally, health insurance companies favor the use of the drug, because methadone is cheap and highly effective. In most states that have reported the highest increases in methadone deaths, the drug is being taken in tablet form, which is how it is prescribed when it is used for the treatment of pain. For this reason, it is not at all surprising that the number of individuals who have been admitted to methadone drug rehab programs has more than tripled in the United States within the last ten years. According to experts, methadone's delayed narcotic effect and its lack of a potent high are the reasons that this drug has the potential to be extremely dangerous; many times, a person who is unaware of methadone's delayed effects, may take more of the drug, and end up experiencing a potentially fatal overdose.

Methadone is a long-acting opioid medication that was originally developed for the purpose of suppressing cravings and the painful withdrawal symptoms that have been commonly associated with heroin and various other types of opioids. There are many serious side effects that are associated with the use of Methadone, including developing an addiction to the potent drug. Methadone side effects generally encompass a wide range of symptoms that may commonly include constipation, drowsiness, dry mouth, euphoria, lightheadedness, slowed breathing, and weakness. Additional side effects of methadone that are not as common often include palpitations, nausea, sweating, vomiting, muscle twitching, and disorientation.

The reason methadone drug rehabs have seen such an increase in the number of individuals that are being admitted for methadone addiction, is because of a variety of different factors, including the growing abuse of powerful opiates such as OxyContin, which is a highly addictive prescription painkiller. Health and law enforcement officials are reporting that many OxyContin addicts are turning to methadone when they are unable to obtain these other types of powerful opiate based drugs. Methadone users are often times under the illusion that the drug is helping them to break their opiate or heroin addiction; the truth is that methadone itself is also a highly addictive drug, both mentally and physically. Shaking off an opiate addiction can be extremely difficult; thus many methadone users choose to avoid the withdrawal symptoms that make them feel sick, by continuing to use the drug.

Because methadone has been reported to be highly addictive, critics of the drug say that it does not offer any benefits in relation to helping to treat the underlying root causes of a drug addiction and that it just turns opiate addicts into methadone addicts. Signs that an individual may be developing an addiction to methadone can include selling the drug in order purchase heroin, taking more than the recommended dose of the drug and lying to medical personnel so that a higher dosage will be prescribed. When an individual has become addicted to this highly potent drug, they should be admitted to a methadone drug rehab for immediate treatment.

There are inpatient and outpatient methadone drug rehab programs, and knowing which type of treatment is best for the person that is struggling with a methadone addiction is vitally important. At an inpatient methadone drug rehab, the person can reside within the safe harbor of the treatment center, away from the environment in which they previously used methadone. At an inpatient methadone drug rehab, the individual that is in treatment will have access to professional support 24 hours a day 7 days a week. In an outpatient methadone drug rehab, the person that is receiving treatment can live at home as they attend activities that are assigned them at various time intervals throughout the course of the week.

When a person enters a methadone drug rehab center, the first and most important step in treatment is the methadone detoxification process. Methadone is reportedly one of the most difficult drugs to be able to detox from, as the effects of this drug are long lasting and are readily stored in the body's fatty tissues. The detoxification process will address the physical dependence of the methadone addiction and will help to rid the body of all of the toxins that have accumulated due to the long term use of the drug.

An individual at a methadone drug rehab who is in going through detox will experience painful and often debilitating withdrawal symptoms; although these initial methadone withdrawal symptoms are reported to be milder than those that are associated heroin detox, actually "kicking" the methadone habit is reported to be much more difficult, as it takes a lot longer and can often be much more painful. Because an individual's blood pressure and heart rate can increase dramatically when they are withdrawing from methadone, it is highly recommended that a person goes through the detoxification process, under the watchful eye of the professional staff at a methadone drug rehab.

After an individual has successfully completed the methadone detox and withdrawal process, they will truly be able embrace the other components of the methadone drug rehab program. The next step at a methadone drug rehab is generally some form of individual or group counseling, which will help the person to be able to finally get to the root causes of their substance abuse problem. A quality methadone drug rehab program will also offer an adequate level of aftercare support, which will help to provide support and accountability for the individual as they attempt to refocus their lives as a newly sober individual.

Choosing the right methadone drug rehab program can help a person with an addiction to the drug to develop new ways to deal with the daily stressors of life and to deal with circumstances that may trigger a desire to reach out for methadone. Utilizing the tools that they have mastered at a quality methadone drug rehab program can help them to finally be free from their methadone addiction.