Next to Marijuana, our counselors have found that most people believe many myths about the effects of methadone and, many believe that it is the only cure for opiate addiction.
The reason that message is so prevalent is because the methadone industry is the most profitable of all drug treatment modalities.
Mehtadone was first discovered and manfactured by the Nazi's in the second world war because the allied troups had kept the support of morphine away from Hitler's troops, so his scientist developed a opiate type painkiller that didn't need the opuim as a basic ingredient.
After the war ended, methaddone was very rarely used and the manufacturing of the drug became almost non-existant. However, in the early seventies, America was experiencing a tremendous increase in heroin addicts from the troops that were returning home from Viet Nam. At this time, there were very few treatments for addiction and since methadone has a half-life of 24 hours, meaning that you can take one dose per day and not be withdrawing with opiate-style withdrawals, it was used as a legal replacement for heroin addiction.
The federal government developed a licensing agreement with providers that were allowed to dispense methadone under the supervision of the FDA and the DEA, as well as the Single State Agencies of the states that wanted to use this controversial form of "treatment"
In short, methadone was being pushed by those that could make huge profits from its sale. Since it was a drug that didn't have patent rights, methadone literally cost pennies/dose. Money hungry profiteers began to realize that they had a captive audience that needed methadone or some other strong opiate or they would feel deathly ill. The common analogy is that withdrawals from opiates is like a severe case of the flu.
If withdrawals from opiates is like the flu, then withdrawals from methadone is like having cancer. Almost everyone that withdraws from methadone has been on other opiates, mainly heroin, and they report that methadone withdrawals is at least ten times harder than heroin withdrawals. It should be pretty easy to see that owning a methadone clinic is good business, however, it may not be good for ones conscience, since there are few people on methadone that will tell you that they are happy with their "treatment". However, there are many that are on such high doses of methadone that they "think" they are doing well, but if you look at indicators of success, you will see otherwise.
The National Institute of Drug Abuse is a strong proponent of methadone and the methadone industry is said to have them in their back pockets. NIDA say the following about methadone:
"Methadone, which has been used for more than 30 years to treat heroin addiction. It is a synthetic opiate medication that binds to the same receptors as heroin; but when taken orally, as dispensed, it has a gradual onset of action and sustained effects, reducing the desire for other opioid drugs while preventing withdrawal symptoms. Properly prescribed methadone is not intoxicating or sedating, and its effects do not interfere with ordinary daily activities. At the present time, methadone is only available through specialized opiate treatment programs." http://www.nida.nih.gov/infofacts/heroin.html
Our counselors have had years of working with addicted people that have used or are using methadone as a substitute for heroin and other opiates. Only about 10% of methadone user are happy with their choice to substitute one drug for another. Most of the methadone users are wanting to get off of their dependence on methadone, but they can't confront the severe withdrawals that come from this drug with a long half-life... don't let methadone shorten your half-life or the enjoyment of living!
PLEASE, contact our counselors before you decide to choose methadone as an alternative to traditional or alternative drug treatment. Texas Drug Rehabs' head counselors has over 35 years of experience in the alcohol and drug rehab treatment field and he was the state director of methadone services for a period of his career. He will be glad to share his insights into this drug as an answer for replacement therapy.
Please, also look at Suboxone, Subutex or buprenorphine. These are the Cadolacs of replacement threapy...methadone is an old Chevy that has been abuse.
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