People suffering from opioid use disorders (OUD) may require medication-assisted treatment (MAT) to experience long-lasting recovery. The treatment program includes medications, counseling, and behavioral therapies to be effective on a patient. However, this requires getting over the stigma associated with a few medicines that treat OUD. As per the FDA, there are three medications, such as methadone, naltrexone, and buprenorphine, that can treat opioid dependence. These can be safe to administer, along with counseling and mental health support. Since these are the three options, you can choose the one based on your need. Suppose you opt for methadone.
A reputed methadone clinic near you will be able to guide you about the methadone maintenance. You will consume methadone under an expert’s supervision to reap the benefits of the treatment. With this, the clinic can offer you counseling and opioid abuse education to help you with psychological and moral support. The studies show that about 25% of people choosing a methadone maintenance program can wean themselves. Another 25% may have to continue its consumption, while others can stop taking medicine and restart when they go for other substance abuse treatment.
Benefits of Methadone for Opioid Use Disorder Patients
Methadone is a type of opiate analgesic that doctors use as a medicine to treat severe painful conditions of the patients. You take this when milder drugs don’t work. The drug can be available in liquid, wafer foam, or tablet form. It is an oral medication that you may have to take at 8 to 12 hours’ gap. Since you can become addicted to it, seeking professional assistance to get rid of its effect can be wise. If you experience severe pain, you should not consume heavy doses. And if there has been an incident of alcohol or drug or painkiller abuse with you, the doctor needs to know it before administering methadone treatment.
As hinted, it also comes in handy in treating withdrawal symptoms caused by OUD. The medicine mimics the effect of the opioids to help people manage withdrawal symptoms. Since it is a prescription drug, you cannot take it without consultation. If you want to overcome OUD through methadone, you have to visit a licensed specialized clinic to get the proper doses recommended by your doctor or practitioner.
Usually, when you undergo OUD treatment, you have to take methadone only once a day to control opioids cravings and withdrawal within 24 to 36 hours. The medicine can reach your brain and spine quite fast. Plus, it can reduce the feeling of euphoria caused by opioids or other drugs. In essence, you can expect several benefits from methadone assisted treatment. These include:
- Reduced dependency on opioids and hence, better survival chances
- Control over criminal activities encouraged by opioid consumption
- Fewer uses of drug injections, which also reduces the risks of HIV transmission
- Improved social functioning
- Better quality of life
- Confidence in addiction treatment due to less distraction by withdrawal symptoms
From this, it is easy to understand that no matter what kind of opioid addiction it is in your case, medication-assisted treatment can be the right solution. For instance, you may have developed kratom addiction for some reason. But it’s time you should get rid of it.
Things to know about kratom and kratom addiction
Kratom contains psychotropic compounds that give you a high when consumed. You can find its pills, extracts, or capsules in stores. Plus, you can ingest it through chewing, smoking, mixing with food or tea. Kratom is an herbal stimulant that helps relieve pain, diarrhea, fatigue, and cough. You can have its small doses for effectiveness. However, the youngsters in the US misuse it to enjoy the high it creates. You can expect opioid-like experiences from it, such as sedation, reduced pain, etc. At the same time, it can improve mood and energy levels.
Anyway, the herbal stimulant can also give you side-effects, such as nausea, dry mouth, hallucination, seizures, etc. Besides, it can lead to addiction, and in some cases, death too. The main reason behind its misuse is easy availability. You can obtain it quickly compared to prescription medicines. That’s why people use it for medical and recreational purposes. But unregulated use of this substance can be dangerous. Even if you try to recover from it on your own, you can experience intense withdrawal. Aggression, insomnia, sweating, hot flashes, depression, anxiety, and others can be a few symptoms.
Hence, if you don’t want these to ruin your life, it is better to seek medication-assisted treatment. There may not be specific drugs or procedures for treating this. Still, your doctor or practitioner can help you find the right treatment program based on your condition and needs.
Opioid addiction is dangerous, but there are ways to overcome it. You can rely on licensed and well-known detox centers for assistance.