To Suboxone From Methadone : Should You Change?

Posted on December 23, 2011 by pgh

To Suboxone From Methadone: What If You Want To Switch?

To Suboxone from Methadone

You may be a person attending a Methadone Clinic and are considering changing you medication to suboxone from methadone. Maybe you are interested in understanding the differences between methadone and that of suboxone treatment when used for narcotic addiction treatment. Methadone has been around for decades. Suboxone has only recently been used to treat opioid addiction.

There are several things to consider before making a change to Suboxone from Methadone. First, the switch can be complicated by severe opioid withdrawal. Methadone can be increased to a high doses to stop any cravings or discomfort. Suboxone does not work the same way. Many drug users benefit from the resources that are available at a Methadone Treatment Center that are not available with Suboxone treatment.

To Suboxone From Methadone: Medication Problems

During a change from to suboxone from methadone, one may have severe issues with opioid withdrawal. To switch to suboxone from methadone, your physician will have to first remove the methadone and this will cause opioid withdrawal. The way suboxone works, it can only be started once a person is in a certain degree of opioid withdrawal. This is referred to as Suboxone Induction. If a person on Methadone just starts Suboxone without getting off the Methadone, the Suboxone can cause opiate withdrawal on the spot.

Also, if the Induction phase of the change goes as planned, it could be several weeks before one feel comfortable on the new medication. You should be aware that some individuals may never show improvement on the Suboxone. They may just quit it and relapse. They sometimes will opt to go back to using Methadone. You need to weigh these considerations. Are you really willing to go through the chance of these issues occurring?

To Suboxone From Methadone : Methadone Is Stronger

Full mu opioid agonist such as methadone can be more dangerous than Suboxone. It can cause respiratory depression during overdose. However, one benefit of Methadone is a higher dose produces more of an effect for drug users. They usually can obtain relief at some level of Methadone. In fact, under the care of a physician, the level of Methadone can be pushed very high.

For those patients who may not want or need high amounts of Methadone in order to stop cravings or addictive behavior (seeking more medication, continued illegal opioid use, theft, etc.), the change to suboxone from methadone may be a good idea. Changing to suboxone from methadone usually requires a person being able to reduce their Methadone use to 40mg per day or less. If they cannot get down to this level, they may not be a good candidate for Suboxone.

To Suboxone From Methadone : Other Issues

Although having to go to a Methadone Treatment Center daily is a major issue for many, it has its positive points. Patients having a lot of contact with Methadone Treatment staff are likely to get more of their problems addressed. Other psychiatric concerns such as major depression, schizophrenia, and manic depression will be treated at the center. Individual counseling is usually available for those in need. Even job training assistance may be present.

For those patients who are currently employed or have less severe family and social problems, switching to suboxone from methadone may be worth a try. Contact with a physician is usually once every four weeks when stable on Suboxone. Typically, if a client is needing counseling, they will need a referral to an outside therapist by their physician. Job training is not available in the doctor’s office. However, being on Suboxone has other positives. Not having frequent appointments with a doctor or clinic is a welcome relief for many. Patients feel they have more privacy being seen by their own physician. They don’t want to be seen attending a Methadone Clinic.

To Suboxone From Methadone : Summary

Switching to suboxone from methadone has helped the lives of many individuals who have an dependency to opiates. Suboxone treatment less complicated, appears to carry less embarrassment for patients, and it requires less total time. Not every individual will do well with Suboxone treatment and would be better served with Methadone. Those who don’t have adequate housing, have a high opioid dependency, and have other psychiatric illnesses may do better. Before making a switch to suboxone from methadone, be sure to discuss these issues with your physician.

Suboxone Treatment Directory And Methadone Treatment Directory

Methadone Therapy | Narcotic Addiction Therapy | Network Therapy

Posted on November 16, 2011 by pgh

Methadone Therapy Counseling Approach | Network Therapy

Methadone Therapy

This methadone therapy program is aimed at professional counselors and doctors. Some visitors here may find it too technical

This is a review of a program on methadone therapy (counseling) with the use of Network Therapy in the treatment of addiction problems including narcotic dependence. This program was originally from series of videos to help doctors prescribe suboxone for opioid treatment. To view the video you can go here.

I think this webinar is going to be really boring for the average person or patient. That said, it is a good review for therapists and clinicians wanting to know more about methadone therapy (counseling) with network therapy. Dr. Galanter has written book chapters and done research in this area of therapy and his knowledge shows.

For patients who are not wanting to attend individual therapy, step programs, or CBT , this is another choice you can review with your physician. She will be able to provide or tell you a counselor who will provide this therapy.

What is methadone therapy (counseling) using network therapy? It is a very simple idea. Take a client wishing to get off narcotics and build a small group of supportive people they know that will provide support and help. This group will meet regularly with the doctor to discuss their progress. It is a nonjudgemental therapy. Medication: methadone or suboxone may be used with this treatment.

Methadone Therapy (Counseling) with Network Therapy Main Points:

Family and Peer support is Network Therapy
Review of different types of behavioral conditioning
Help lead the individual to remember what triggered the drug use previously
Getting network therapy to work
How to put together the network with family and friends
Monitoring and supporting the group
Appointments with the network
Use of reinforcements
Patient focused, not family focused
Partner Involvement
Preventing Relapse
This does not involve psychodynamic psychotherapy

Methadone Therapy (Counseling) | Network Therapy Review

I found this methadone therapy (counseling) program helpful. I have used this in my own clinic to some extent. I believe that it can be helpful and can be used before other counseling approaches if desired. The main limitation to this network therapy is the availability of the group . It can take a lot of effort to bring together a network, meet on a regular basis, and cover everything. Weekly and monthly visits for all could be a problem. This is a stress on the capability of all those in the group to make the appointments. Despite this counseling approach being nonjudgemental, I do see it as a type of group pressure and accountability. Some clients may want another less stressful therapy approach.

Find Licensed Help With Opioid Dependence

Use our FREE directories to find assistance with opioid addiction. We have three listings: a Buprenorphine Doctor Directory, Methadone Maintenance Treatment Clinics Directory, and Oxycontin Treatment Directory. These directories can help you find drug opioid treatment near you. Dr. Rich writes more on drug addiction including: Buprenorphine Doctor : How Do I Find One?
Other Resources

Network Therapy for Addiction

Using Family and Peer Support To Improve Your Treatment Outcome (pdf)
American Journal of Psychaitry Network Therapy

Children and Addiction | Video on Opioid Addiction

Posted on November 2, 2011 by pgh

Children and Addiction | Review of Opioid Addiction Video

Children And Addiction

This is a review of a video on children and addiction. We don’t really see children in methadone treatment centers, but they too have opioid problems. The original video can be located at the PCSS-B website. It covers the topic of children and addiction to physician authorized medications. It also covers children and addiction and the current treatment with the medication Suboxone.

I thought the video on children and addiction very interesting. It is aimed towards physicians who prescribe Suboxone (buprenorphine), but it is simple enough for the pubic to understand most of it. The video is about 40 minutes in length. Adding the introduction, body and Q&A it will take close to an hour to watch.

Children and Addiction Video Highlights

The lecture on children and addiction reviews the current problems with opioids in children and teens and then moves to the use of suboxone in children and young adults. Here are the main points:

Children and teens use physician authorized opioids because of several reasons. They think because these medications are prescribed by a doctor, they are not harmful. Since they observe adults using physician authorized narcotics, they think they are safe to experiment with. Finally, they think that since one doesn’t have to obtain the drug from an illegal source (you can go to a pharmacy) that they are not really “bad” and they will get into less problems using these medications. There seems to be less stigma using physician authorized pills compared to illegal drugs. All these combine to the increase the risk of children and addiction.

There has been an effort in the United Stated during the last ten years to alleviate pain better. This has caused more physician authorized drugs in the community and more children and addiction.

There were about 1 million people addicted to opiates in the year 2000. In 2006, the national survey on drug use and health indicated this number being 2.4 million.

Narcotic related admissions for 18-25 year olds doubled from 1993 to 2002.

Children and addiction comes from the fact 1 in 8 teens has tried narcotics “for fun” before completing high school. Half of the new narcotic users in 2001 were below the age of 18. 60% of teens indicate physician authorized meds are easy to get from family and others. Half of teens say narcotics are easy to buy from the internet or easy to obtain or steal from others close to them.

The USA has 4.6% of the globe’s population, but 80% of the narcotic supply is here. 99% of the globe’s hydrocodone (in Vicodin) is consumed in the States.

Following alcohol and cannabis, physician authorized opioids are the most abused drugs

Suboxone is approved for ages 16 and above. It has been used in younger children.

Daily habits of physician authorized pills initially can be purchased by a teen, but soon costs get out of control and can reach hundred’s of dollars per day. When this occurs, they begin using heroin which is more pure and cheaper and this increases the children and addiction.

In 2003, the price of narcotic addiction was 100 billion dollars

Children and Addiction | Summary

The use of opioids in children and teens continues to increase yearly. There are likely multiple causes. Children see physician authorized pills as more safe and having less of a bad name than other drugs. They don’t see how children and addiction problems progress over time and cause many problems including a high cost, risk of death from overdose, and being enslaved by the drug. Suboxone (buprenorphine) is one treatment for narcotic dependence. Suboxone can be used to successfully treat children and addiction problems at this young age.

Suboxone Treatment Directory And Methadone Treatment Directory

Dr. Rich is a Board Certified Psychiatrist with licenses in Texas and Hawaii. He specializes in the treatment of opioid addiction with buprenorphine and runs a FREE locator service to find Methadone Treatment including Suboxone treatment of oxycontin addiction. Suboxone Doctor in your area.
Dr. Rich has written more articles on the cost of oxycontin, buprenorphine (Suboxone) including frequently asked questions and a recent post : Suboxone Cost : Will Medicare and Medicaid Cover Treatment ?

Other Resources:

EXPLODING DRUG MYTHS

Drug Addiction Treatment Act

Dark Paradise: A History of Opiate Addiction in America

Find a Suboxone Doctor Instead Of Methadone Doctor

Posted on October 19, 2011 by pgh

Find a Suboxone Doctor with our Suboxone Physician Treatment Directory

suboxone doctor

If you are seeking a suboxone doctor or suboxone physician for opioid addiction, use our free suboxone physician directory to find in your area. A suboxone doctor or suboxone physician is trained to treat opioid dependence and addiction with the use of the medication suboxone.

When patients don’t want to use methadone for opiod dependence then Suboxone is an alternative medication that is very similar to methadone. Suboxone has been around for opioid treatment for the past ten years. It has proved to be a very successful treatment option. It has helped many individuals with opioid dependence, herion dependence, painkiller, oxycontin dependence, and any narcotic dependence either to detox slowly from those medications or to receive long-term treatment with suboxone.

What Is A Suboxone Physician or Suboxone Doctor ?

You can locate more information here about the requirements for a suboxone doctor. The good thing about a suboxone doctor is that treatment is usually done at a physician’s clinic rather than at a methadone clinic. Once a patient is doing well on suboxone, they are able to reduce their appointments to once per month rather than having to go to methadone treatment at a methadone maintenance center daily. Convenience and privacy are better with suboxone treatment than with methadone treatment.

Your physician may be a suboxone doctor and prescribe this medication. Thousands of physicians in the United States are now able to administer this drug. This means your own private family doctor may be a suboxone doctor or a suboxone physician. However, if your own family doctor doesn’t prescribe suboxone, you will easily be able to find a suboxone doctor in your city.

Suboxone Doctor or Suboxone Physician Why Bother With This Treatment ?

Suboxone treatment has many advantages on its own. You can find out more about what suboxone treatment can do for you by reading some of the posts on this site. Even pregnant mothers with opioid addiction have found suboxone helpful.

Heroin addicted individuals who inject drugs are not the only people seeking suboxone treatment. Addiction to painkillers has grown over the previous decade and this has become a major source of emergency room visits. Patients who started being treated for chronic pain find themselves addicted to their medication. Suboxone can help these individuals break the addiction too.

There are some people who many not do as well with this type of treatment. Patients with particularly severe opioid addiction may need a higher level of care like a methadone maintenance facility. They might not do as well with a suboxone doctor as some others. Having a frank discussion with a suboxone doctor is needed to decide whether this treatment will work for you. To find out the level of care you need and how bad your addiction is, get an addiction assessment from a suboxone doctor.

Methadone Treatment Center Directory and Suboxone Doctor Directory

Dr. Rich is a Board Certified Psychiatrist with licenses in Texas and Hawaii. He specializes in the treatment of opioid addiction with buprenorphine and runs a FREE locator service to find Methadone Treatment including Suboxone treatment for opioid addiction. Find a Suboxone Doctor in your area.
Dr. Rich has written more articles on the cost of oxycontin, buprenorphine (Suboxone) including frequently asked questions and a recent post : Signs of Painkiller Addiction

Suboxone Cost : Will Medicare and Medicaid Cover Treatment ?

Suboxone Doctors In Your Area

What are the Side Effects of Suboxone (buprenorphine)?

Suboxone clinics : Where are the suboxone clinics ?

Suboxone Treatment : What To Expect With Narcotic Treatment

Suboxone Detox : The Solution for Opioid Addiction?

Suboxone Cost vs Addiction Cost : What Are You Really Paying?

Prescribe Suboxone : Who is a Qualified Physician?

Welcome To The Methadone Clinic Directory

Posted on October 19, 2011 by pgh

Welcome To The Methadone Clinic and Methadone Treatment Clinics Directory

Methadone Clinicc Directory

If you are looking for a methadone clinic or methadone treatment clinics, feel free to use our free directory to find help by your location. A methadone clinic doctor is a doctor who is trained to treat opioid addiction with the use of methadone. Methadone Treatment Clinics are highly regulated. Although methadone clinics are found in most major cities, they are not in every smaller town.

Methadone is a treatment for opioid addiction in patients that don’t want or have failed suboxone treatment. Methadone has been used in the United States for opioid addiction since the 1960’s. In comparison, suboxone treatment has only been use for this purpose over the last ten years. Methadone Treatment Clinics can help those with painkiller addiction problems, oxycontin addiciton, heroin addiction, and other types of narcotic addictions.

What Is A Methadone Clinic ?

You can find out more here about the Methadone treatment clinics. Methadone is not for everyone. Methadone treatment clinics can be inconvenient to reach since they are not in every town. A methadone clinic has many restrictions on how many times per week one must attend what is involved with the treatment. As a result, not everyone is able or not wanting to attend a methadone clinic.

The alternative of going to a methadone clinic is getting suboxone treatment. This is a newer treatment that can be done from your regular doctors office. Thousands of doctors in the United States now prescribe suboxone for opioid addiction. This has allowed many patients to no longer have to attend a methadone clinic. You would need to discuss with a suboxone doctor if you are right for this type of treatment. You can also use our suboxone doctor directory to find one near you.

Methadone Treatment Clinics : Why Should You Go To A Methadone Clinic?

There are many advantages to methadone treatment. You can find out more about the benefits of methadone treatment clinics by looking at some of the articles on this site. Methadone treatment clinics have been proven to reduce crime, improve employment, and help families heal. Methadone has also been used during pregnancy of opioid addicts. Any methadone clinic should have experience with most any situation and questions you have since they have been around for many decades.

A methadone clinic is not just used for the person who injects opioids. Methadone treatment clinics can be a place to go for those who have become addicted to oxycontin, vicodin, and other pain relievers. Many individuals being treated for chronic pain have an addiction to their medication and are unable to stop the medication when they are instructed by their doctor to do so. If suboxone treatment is not a good alternative for you, going to a methadone clinic for an evaluation may be helpful.

Methadone Treatment Center Directory and Suboxone Doctor Directory

Dr. Rich is a Board Certified Psychiatrist with licenses in Texas and Hawaii. He specializes in the treatment of opioid addiction with buprenorphine and runs a FREE locator service to find Methadone Treatment including Suboxone treatment for opioid addiction. Find a Suboxone Doctor in your area.
Dr. Rich has written more articles on the cost of oxycontin, buprenorphine (Suboxone) including frequently asked questions and a recent post : Signs of Painkiller Addiction

Methadone Clinic and Methadone Treatment Clinics Article Resources

What Is Methadone : Methadone Drug Information

What is Methadone Treatment ? Facts On This Opioid Addiction Treatment

Methadone Side Effects

Methadone Overdose : Signs, Symptoms, and What To Do

Effects of Methadone : More Than For Methadone Treatment

How to Get Methadone : What You Need To Do Legally

Opioid Addiction : 10 Questions For You

Suboxone Detox Instead of Methadone Treatment ?

Methadone : What Are People Searching For On The Web

Suboxone Treatment Methadone Alternative : What is it?

Find A Suboxone Doctor in Your State

Methadone Treatment Cost For Opioid Addiction

NIDA

SAMHSA

How To Get Prescription Drug Dependence Long-Term Treatment

Posted on October 14, 2011 by pgh

Drug Dependence and Prescriptions| A Real Problem

Drug Dependence

Prescription drug dependence affects not only families, but the individuals close at hand to them. Within the last fifteen years, the amount of narcotic prescribed drugs has risen dramatically. The U.S. Government Accountability Office reports the use of methadone alone rose eight times between 1998 and 2006 to 4.1 million prescriptions. This increase in the number of prescriptions has led to more diversion and drug dependence of opioids. The Centers for Disease Control has spoken that overdoses of prescription medication are so broad, that only automobile accidents are more frequent. These numbers signal a need for people to seek medication drug dependence treatment.

Medication drug dependence treatment has made advances over the past 10 years. Up until short while ago, doctors would prescribe other addictive opioids to help patients who could not get off their own opioid drugs. This was referred to maintenance treatment. This way of treatment was outlawed until methadone was approved for the treatment of narcotic dependence in the mid 1960’s.

Methadone Maintenance Treatment for Drug Dependence

Methadone Maintenance Treatment has served a valuable function aiding opioid addicts who have been unable to get completely off their drugs. Even though methadone is a narcotic and clients become addicted to this treatment, it is thought to be more useful to do this than have clients go to the streets to satisfy their drug dependence. Narcotic addicts could now go to a physician, receive counseling, and not have the permanent risk of having withdrawals from opioids.

Methadone Maintenance Assistance has many benefits. This treatment is supervised firmly by the people in Washington. It has shown to subdue crime in the areas where addicts are receiving treatment. Expectant mothers have better results for their babies. Methadone maintenance has allowed many drug dependent people to maintain stable employment.

There are downsides to methadone maintenance help. Many of these treatment facilities are positioned in areas that are far for patients to journey. Patients find it complicated to attend the treatment center on a daily basis. Finally, many patients feel these treatment facilities do not allow the amount of concealment they want.

Suboxone Treatment For Prescription Drug Dependence

A newer form of narcotic long-term drug dependence treatment has been a standard over the past 10 years. This approach uses the medication suboxone. It has several advantages over methadone. One main advantage is that suboxone is prescribed by thousands of physicians across the States instead of only a few hundred as is the situation with methadone.

Suboxone overdose rarely results in death. This means it is very much safer than methadone in this respect. Suboxone is abused less commonly than methadone because it does not provide the same high as methadone. Finally, suboxone can be written monthly which is an useful thing for patients. The major disadvantage to the use of suboxone is that it doesn’t seem to assist some of the extreme narcotic addicts that methadone appears capable of doing

Summary Prescription Drug Dependence Long-Term Treatment

Doctors now have two prescription drugs used for opioid drug dependence long-term treatment. The first medication is methadone, and this is administered at approved clinics. The newer drug suboxone, can be prescribed from a physician’s clinic. Because of the advantages of suboxone, many more individuals seeking help for painkiller dependence are able to receive treatment.

If you are trying to find painkiller drug addiction treatment, use our suboxone physician directory to seek out help around you. If you want facts on methadone facilities, you can find more about a methadone treatment clinic here.

Drug Addiction : Finding Help For Loved Ones

Posted on October 13, 2011 by pgh

Finding Help For Drug Addiction

Drug Addiction

Drug Addiction Quick Skip to:

Drug Addiction Treatment Center Directory

Methadone Clinic Treatment Center List

Suboxone Doctor in Your area

Getting help for a person you know with a drug addiction is a rough process. It is challenging to confront your family member and talk about the difficulty they are going through. Some may anticipate losing the relationship while others fear the friend will take even more drugs of abuse. There are two parts to this course. The first piece is getting together with the loved one and having a talk with them. The next part is finding the relief that is acceptable for them.

While you are getting prepared to talk with your loved one about their drug habit, make certain you are in a secluded situation. Try to talk to them when either of you are not under a lot of stress. Arrange something happy to do on the weekend with the friend. Try to start by expressing to them you care for them and that you are fearful at things that are going on in their life. Make clear the problems that you have witnessed happening with them and that you anticipate they want to get relief. You want to see how motivated the loved one is to get help.

Some people with a drug addiction may react well to being petitioned to get help by a person who has their best interest in mind. They may just required a little help with making the decision to look for treatment. Most probably, your friend will not be wanting to seek treatment. The process of determining to get help with a drug addiction can last many months or even years. Just reminding the family member at intervals the problems you see is the most constructive deed you can achieve. If you are seeing the family member doing things that place them or others in danger, you can go to any close drug treatment center. They will help in deciding whether there needs to be mandatory steps taken an if the friend needs immediate treatment against their will.

Forcing drug treatment on loved one is only to separate them from harm’s way. Although some persons do take steps with compelled treatment, plenty don’t. When they are let go, they may be disinclined to get any more help from others. Addiction treatment is a long process. A brief stay in an hospital will only get them on the way of recovery, but they are going to need ongoing help for many months or years. Securing them aid requires a lot of fortitude.

Acquiring Aid with Painkiller Drug Addiction

The treatment for drug addiction has gotten better over the preceding twenty years. There are several new medication treatments that may be beneficial. None of them is a panacea, and each has it’s problems, but countless numbers people have been aided.

Addiction to legal medications is a problem that is becoming confirmed as a major problem. May clients have been introduced on pain pills for a specialized problem such as back pain. We are not sure why, but a chunk of these persons will at the end of the day display addiction to the medication. In days gone by, drug addiction to opioids meant injecting drugs. This is no longer the fact. There are millions of people addicted to physician prescribed pain pills.

Some persons can stop their drug addiction to opioids by securing encouragement from their Family Doctor with getting removed from the opioid. Becoming clean from the painkillers works for almost all persons. Medications can be given by your doctor to assist lessening of the withdrawals from a cutback in the opioid medication. Others need longer treatment. They are rotated to a new drug such as methadone, and slowly reduced from the medication over a period of months or years.

Some clients are unable to get off the drug without backsliding to their old opioids , so they are kept on the methadone for as long as required. This is called maintenance treatment. There is an alternate method, Suboxone treatment, which is a newer medication that does the same thing. It is also safer than using methadone.

There is an additional choice for prescription drug addiction when sobriety is a problem. This is the treatment of an narcotic antagonist such as Vivitrol. This medication blocks any opioid drug in the brain so the person will not sense extreme happiness. This type of medication is now ready for use in a longer acting set preparation. It mainly helps coax an individual to not act on an impulse to use drugs because it won’t let them get high.

Summary of Getting Drug Addiction Help

Helping a family member with a drug addiction requires calmness and caring. Reminding the person you care for of the unmanageables in their life coming from from drugs, that you care for them, and that you will help them seek help is the best way to help them. Many individuals take years to decide to accept drug treament. For some, forced treatment makes them face getting help. There are newer medications available for opioid drug addiction. Reviewing these medications with a doctor can help determine which is the most fitting for you or the person you are trying to help who has a drug addiction.

Drug Addiction Resources

If you are looking for more information on Suboxone, find a suboxone doctor and read artices on suboxone
Find oxycontin addiction treatment and information.

National Institute On Drug Abuse

What Is Methadone : Methadone Drug Information

Posted on September 30, 2011 by pgh

What Is Methadone

What Is Methadone?

What is Methadone ? Methadone is a an opioid medication (a narcotic). It is used for the treatment of pain and for the treatment of opioid addiction. German scientists produced this medication during the second world war. Some think this was in response to a shortage of morphine.

Methadone came to the United States in 1947. It was initially used for the treatment of pain. It was particularly helpful because of it’s long length of action. It was studied in the 1960’s for the use in opioid addiction.

What is methadone being used for today? Methadone now has the dual role of pain management and opioid addiction treatment, among other uses. Methadone is a safe and effective medication according to the FDA and is classified as a Schedule II medication by the DEA. Because of its high addictive effects, methadone is closely regulated. There have been emerging problems with methadone regarding use and deaths.

What is Methadone ? The Side Effects

If you are looking for what is methadone side effects, I have previously covered methadone side effects in another post. If you know the side effects of methadone, you will know the side effects of all the opioid drugs because the symptoms are the same. Other popular opioid medications include: Morphine, Oxycontin, Codeine, Suboxone, Opana, hydrocodone and many other formulations.

The main concern for all opioid medications is the risk of respiratory depression during an overdose. A person can suddenly stop breathing. An overdose of methadone can also cause heart arrhythmia (irregular hear beat) and death. The next major risk of methadone is becoming addicted to is, although this should not be as much of a concern for legitimate users of this medication.

What is Methadone ? Drug Interactions

First there are the medications that should not be taken at all with methadone. These include the opioid agonist-antagonist medications such a suboxone, buprenex, subutex, talwin, nubain, pentazocine, dalgan, and stadol. These medications can place people who are already on an opioid into sudden opioid withdrawal. Even stronger drugs similar to this but are direct opioid blockers and will start opioid withdrawal include: naltrexone, naloxone, nalmefine, Revia. Old antidepressions, the MAI inhibitors such as Nardil or Parnate, can have critical interactions. Finally, Ultram can cause withdrawal.

There is a ridiculously long list of medications from the Physician’s Clinical Support System that can interfere with methadone. You can open the PDF and look up any medications you may be taking: Methadone Drug Interactions.

Here are some other topics for what is methadone :

Methadone Dosing : Drugs.com

History of Methadone: This is a nice PDF summary

Suboxone Treatment Directory And Methadone Treatment Directory

Dr. Rich is a Board Certified Psychiatrist with licenses in Texas and Hawaii. He specializes in the treatment of opioid addiction with buprenorphine and runs a FREE locator service to find Methadone Treatment including Suboxone treatment of oxycontin addiction. Suboxone Treatment Clinic in your area.
Dr. Rich has written more articles on the cost of oxycontin, buprenorphine (Suboxone) including frequently asked questions and a recent post : How Do I Find A Suboxone Physician?

Resources for ” what is methadone “

Methadone : Wikipedia

Food an Drug Administration (FDA): Methadone

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) : Diversion Control

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

List of narcotic drugs under international control

Methadone Drug Interactions Sheet

Oral Methadone Dosing for Chronic Pain: A Practitioner’s Guide

How to Get Methadone : What You Need To Do Legally

Posted on September 29, 2011 by pgh

How To Get Methadone : For Chronic Pain or Opioid Addiction

How To Get Methadone

If you are looking how to get methadone , there are two main, legal reasons for its use today. The first is for the treatment of chronic pain. The other reason is for opioid treatment at a methadone treatment center.

Some patients are looking for how to get methadone for their pain because they have found it more effective and longer lasting than other opioid medications. If this is the case, you can go to any physician and get it prescribed to them for this reason. As long as the methadone is not being prescribed for opioid addiction treatment, any doctor can prescribe the medication.

Some doctors, however, are uncomfortable with giving methadone this way. They may prescribe is for only a short period, or they may not want to use it at all. Much has to do with a particular doctor’s comfort level. They may refer you to a pain specialist who has more experience with methadone because methadone requires special monitoring.

How To Get Methadone : For Opioid Addiction

For centuries, it has been known that opioid medications are addictive. Methadone was invented in Germany during the Second World War. Between about 1910 and 1960 opioids were used illegally by doctors and others to treat opioid addiction. It was not until the 1960’s that it’s use for opioid addiction began to be used legally. The first studies indicated the many benefits of methadone treatment. Then the use of methadone clinics was born.

Finding how to get methadone for opioid addiction starts with finding a methadone clinic near you. They are located in most cities. There are methadone support groups online you can access. Other than hospitals and addiction detox centers, methadone treatment centers are to only place to go for addicts.

Methadone is highly regulated. There is a risk of theft and misuse (diversion) of this medication. This, along with the public’s fear of the idea of giving the opioid addicted individual a narcotic for treatment, led to these restrictions. Here is more information on methadone treatment.

How To Get Methadone : What About Suboxone

While everyone is worrying about how to get methadone, people forget there is a newer medication for the treatment of opioid addiction. This medication is called Suboxone. This medication is safer and less addictive than methadone, although suboxone does have its risk. Find out more about suboxone treatment.

Methadone Treatment Directory and Suboxone Treatment Directory

Dr. Rich is a Board Certified Psychiatrist with licenses in Texas and Hawaii. He treats opioid addiction with buprenorphine and runs a FREE locator service to find Methadone Treatment including Suboxone treatment for those wanting oxycontin help. Find a Suboxone Treatment Clinic in your area. Dr. Rich has written more articles on methadone, buprenorphine (Suboxone) including d a recent post : Opioid Addiction : 10 Questions For You

More Resources Related on How To Get Methadone

National Library of Medicine Abstract: Methadone maintenance treatment: a review of historical and clinical issues

Certification for Opioid Treatment Program: SAMHSA

National Institute On Drug Abuse

Effects of Methadone : More Than For Methadone Treatment

Posted on September 29, 2011 by pgh

What Are The Effects of Methadone ?

Effects of Methadone

There are mainly two groups of people who need to know the effects of methadone. The person who is being treated for pain with methadone is one. The other is the opioid addicted individual who wants information on methadone treatment. It is important to realize that the opioid dependent person is not longer limited to the stereotypical heroin addict.

Over the last decade, there has been a rise in the use of oxycontin in addition to methadone for the treatment of various forms of pain. Many people who never had an addiction started these medications through their primary care doctor for a legitimate reason such as a broken leg or perhaps severe back pain. Some are more susceptible to the addictive effects of methadone.

Although getting an addictive disorder is on of the effects of methadone, when use as directed under the care of a physician, the risk of addiction to pain medications is low (4-5%). There are estimated to be about 30 million patients in the United States so even this small percentage of abusers is a large number. There has been a more recent article indicating up to 1/3 of people being treatment for non-cancer pain on a chronic basis get addicted to opioid medications. Apparently, this was in the July 2011 issue of the Journal for Addictive Diseases and I have not reviewed the actual article. Here is one link.

There are, however, a much larger number of individuals who are abusing the medication through non-medical sources. Most people abusing opioids are getting the medication through family or friends rather through “drug dealers.” They may be using is for recreational use. There are many others who are at higher risk to having an one of the addictive effects of methadone: especially those who are mentally ill and those with an existing addiction,

Effects of Methadone

Treatment of Pain : Excellent for acute (sudden) pain. Can work well for chronic (long-term) pain, however, the effectiveness for long-term pain is being questioned as compared to other pain relieving medication. The exception is cancer pain.
Increase in energy: Patient report to me lower doses give them energy
Euphoria: People describe a “better than sex” feeling. A feeling of falling backward, being half dead and alive and sleepy.
Reduce or stop coughing
Reduce or stop diarrhea
Treatment of Opioid Addiction (such as methadone maintenance)

Side Effects of Methadone : Go to my article or See Below

Methadone Side Effects List :

nausea
decreased libido
urination problems
decreased appetite
sedation
weight gain
flushing
abdominal pain
constipation
vision changes
mood swings
swelling of limbs
weakness
difficulty with sleep
vomiting
missed menstrual periods

Serious Side Effects of Methadone : Call Your Doctor Immediately:

rash
seizures
itching

Rare

irregular heartbeat and death

Summary of Effects of Methadone

Methadone is a very good pain reliever and has some other medical uses such as for cough, diarrhea, and the treatment of opioid addiction. Although it can be safely used under proper medical supervision, there is a real risk of addiction. The risk of addiction is more for those with mental illness, a genetic predisposition, and current addicts. Patients taking methadone should be aware of the side effects of methadone to know what to discuss with their doctor.

Other Resourses Related to the Effects of Methadone :

National Pain Foundation FAQ on Opioids

US Department Of Health and Human Services : Research on Prescription Drug Abuse

History of Methadone

Methadone Treatment Center Directory and Suboxone Doctor Directory

Dr. Rich is a Board Certified Psychiatrist with licenses in Texas and Hawaii. He specializes in the treatment of opioid addiction with buprenorphine and runs a FREE locator service to find Methadone Treatment including Suboxone treatment for opioid addiction. Find a Suboxone Doctor in your area.
Dr. Rich has written more articles on the cost of oxycontin, buprenorphine (Suboxone) including frequently asked questions and a recent post : Signs of Painkiller Addiction