Methadone Ranks Highest Successful Regimen

Opiate addiction is a complex disorder and many people hold differing views about treatment. A controversial, yet effective drug treatment for teenagers is Methadone. Doctors rarely select Methadone to treat teenage drug addiction, yet it remains one the most effective drugs on the market today.

 

Today, opiates are a leading drug of choice among school-aged kids. Twenty-five percent of eighth graders have tried illegal drugs. For twelve graders, those statistics become more alarming. These statistics alert us to the epidemic of adolescent drug use and addiction.

 

Why Kids Abuse Drugs

 

Many kids use drugs for the same general reasons adults use drugs; to feel happy, stimulated or relaxed; to ease stress and frustration, tension, disappointment or anger. Drug use is primarily to take their minds off any troubles.

 

Most parents are more familiar with heroin opiates, not fully realizing brand name painkillers like Vicodin and OxyContin, are narcotic opiate drugs, prescribed for treating pain. Kids are more likely to find these opiate drugs right in their home medicine cabinet. The availability of opiates becomes more obvious at schools, where students sell individual pills during the school day.

 

Treating Teenage Drug Addiction

 

Drug treatment for adolescents is not that simple. Kids hate the very thought of drug treatment. Listening to boring lectures and having counselors dig deep into the past. Sitting in circles with strangers and forced to place feelings on display. The idea that the school system, court system and parents gang up on them, and force them to get help makes adolescents rebel.

 

The most effective treatment tends to be Methadone. The program often conflicts with school schedules; however, the bottom line is Methadone treatment is effective with few teens experiencing a relapse.

 

Very few drug addiction programs offer Methadone treatment to adolescent substance abusers; however, with the number of teen drug users steadily increasing, the question becomes which treatment effectively and quickly stops drug abuse.

 

Why Methadone Treatment

 

Methadone is a synthetic product, similar in chemical composition to opiates. Historically, doctors prescribed methadone to patients who were in extreme pain and those in drug addiction programs. Because of the close similarities, Methadone works quickly.

 

Methadone will greatly prevent the worst of the physical effects of withdrawal. While it may seem counterintuitive to give a drug in order to stop drug addiction, Methadone treatment has the highest success rate of all addiction treatment plans.

 

Once the patient stabilizes, and their tolerance levels are established, doctors reduce the methadone dosage, thereby weaning the patient.

 

Behavioral Signs and Symptoms of Opiate Use

 

Parents often remark they never knew their kids experimented with drugs and few know the marked signs and symptoms. Knowing what to look out for and recognizing the problems can render a faster solution. Here are some behavioral signs and symptoms to alert parents of possible drug use.

 

  • Uncharacteristic mood swings and aggressive behavior
  • Truancy and lateness for school or work
  • Deterioration in personal hygiene and dress
  • Covering up suspicious behavior by lying, being vague, etc
  • Unusual conflicts with authority figures
  • Sudden change of habits, loss of purpose in life and lack of motivation
  • Excessive borrowing of money
  • Stealing from family, friends, school
  • Selling personal property, with little to show for it
  • Deterioration in performance
  • Poor appetite and weight loss
  • Bouts of depression and shyness
  • Spending large periods of time away from home
  • Excessive sleeping

 

Many of these signs may simply be normal signs of adolescence or could be due to some other cause that has nothing to do with drug use. In order to verify your suspicions of possible drug use, it is necessary to back up observations with physical evidence.

 

Non-Methadone Programs Fall Short

 

Many of today’s teen drug addiction treatment programs are developed on the premise that the individual is ready to eliminate their substance abuse. These programs frequently function under the assumption that the individual has determined that a drug-free lifestyle is much better for them, however, in reality, someone in authority has made this decision, such as a parent, a probation officer or the juvenile system.

 

You’ll find, teenagers often refuse to start a drug treatment program. For those willing to try, there is a high rate of relapse. The bottom line is that coercion doesn’t work. Very few teens see the benefit of taking part in drug treatment.

 

In the last decade, the court system has referred more teenage addicts to drug treatment than any other source. Drug use and criminal behavior have a common link, and courts respond accordingly with drug treatment programs. While the courts, and schools, and parent interventions all provide positive fortification, juveniles are deceptive and most will fail drug treatment, particularly when addiction programs do not include Methadone.

 

More than 50 percent of teenage students have tried opiates that number is growing at an alarming rate. With such high numbers, parents must choose the best drug addiction programs that have a lasting effect – Methadone treatment tops the list.

 

Welcome To The Methadone Clinic Directory

Welcome To The Methadone Clinic and Methadone Treatment Clinics Directory

Methadone Clinicc 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

 

Suboxone Detox Instead of Methadone Treatment ?

Suboxone Detox

Suboxone Detox

Suboxone Detox Instead of Methadone Detox

Detoxing from a narcotics involves slowly reducing the quantity of a drug to avoid severe or dangerous withdrawal. People usually seek detox for : Alcohol, benzodiazepines (Xanax, Valium, Klonopin), and opioid drugs.  Physical dependence is when an individual experiences withdrawal symptoms when abruptly discontinuing a medication. Symptoms may include tremors, insomnia, anxiety, high blood pressure, seizures, and even death. When a person has taken a narcotic for a long enough period, suddenly stopping the narcotic will lead to withdrawal because of their physical dependence.  Symptoms specific to opioid withdrawal: severe cravings, goosebumps, runny nose, diarrhea, stomach cramps, and sweating.  The reason for a slow narcotic detox is to help limit these problems and  avoid relapse.


Methadone, Suboxone (buprenorphine/Naloxone) are two medications used for detox from opioid drugs. They are used if the patient has not been able to taper the drug they are taking on their own or with the supervision of their physician. One is usually switched from the current medication(Oxycontin, Vicodin, or heroin) to Methadone or Suboxone (buprenorphine) and then the dose of the drug is slowly reduced.

Who should consider Suboxone detox or Methadone Treatment Detox?

  1. If you are unable to stop using heroin in any form.
  2. If you have become addicted to pain killer medications.
  3. If you are having dangerous side effects from opioid pain medications.
  4. If you are injecting or ‘shooting up” narcotics in any form.
  5. If you are snorting opioids in any form.

Previously, it was thought  that people addicted to heroin were the main people needing detoxification. However, more recently, we have seen a lot of younger and older patients seeking treatment because of being addicted to their  pain medications. Remember, Everyone will eventually get physically dependent to opiods if they are taken long enough and at a high enough dose. However, not everyone becomes an opioid addict. The people who are physically dependent but not involved in addictive behaviors (stealing, planning use, using despite health or social consequences)  do quiet well once they are detoxed from opioids.

Suboxone Detox: Another Choice than Methadone Treatment

Suboxone detox is that it can be accomplished from your doctor’s office. Previously, one had the choice of having a opioid detox in the hospital or going to a methadone treatment center for detox. A Suboxone detox is generally more convenient the patient than methadone and can take less time. Many people prefer going to their own physician rather than a methadone clinic. If the patient and doctor decide to do a slow detox with suboxone, there are less office visits (methadone treatment requires almost daily visits) . Suboxone (buprenorphine/naloxone) detox is considered a good for many, but not all opioid addicted individuals who don’t want to go to methadone treatment.

Opioid Detox: How Fast To Reduce

How fast the Methadone or the Suboxone is tapered depends on the what is best for each patient. The detox can be as short as a week to longer than half a year.

The more stable a patient is in their personal, work, and social life, the faster the reduction can be done. Has the patient relapsed many times in the past during or after detoxification? How long have they been using opioids? Are they on other drugs of abuse? Do they have another psychiatric illnesses like depression? How much legal problems dothey have? Theses things need to be weighed by the patient and discussed with their physician before undergoing methadone treatment detox or Suboxone detox.

Suboxone Detox: What Happens

The amount of narcotic withdrawal symptoms that people experience during Suboxone detox varies from patient to patient. Usually, the higher the dose one is starting from and the quicker one reduces the medications, the more withdrawal symptoms that will be experienced.

Despite using Suboxone or Methadone for detox, most people will experience opioid withdrawal symptoms. During opioid withdrawal, my experience is patients have the most problems with the sleeplessness, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and cravings. The National Pain Foundation has a nice summary regarding the symptoms and ways to help.

There are a number of drugs that can be used to help with the withdrawal symptoms that happen during detox. They can be very helpful in getting rest while going through detox in addition to reducing the diarrhea. Using methadone or Suboxone alone during the detox with a slow taper will help reduce the cravings and cramping.

Suboxone Detox: Where Can I find One?

Most psychiatric hospitals can provide a suboxone detox. This can be done in the hospital, or by attending a partial hospitalization program. In an outpatient setting, you need to find a doctor who will prescribe suboxone. There are several Suboxone (buprenorphine) physician directories available that will help you find a center or doctor in your area.

Suboxone Detox Summary:

Methadone and Suboxone are drugs that are used for detoxification in those people wanting to get off their opioid medications or illicit narcotic drug use. The opiod withdrawal symptoms can be reduced with a number of medications. Suboxone doctors and Methadone treatment clinics are available and can be found  treatment center directories online.

Find Methadone Treatment or a Doctor in Your Area That Can Start You on Suboxone:

If you need help and are looking for a physician who prescribes Suboxone, click Suboxone Doctor Directory. If you think you may need more intensive treatment such a methadone detox, other opioid detox, or getting started on buprenorphine inpatient, click here for our state opioid treatment center registry. Dr. Senyszyn is a Maui psychiatrist.