Methadone Detox Centers

People addicted to heroin and other opioids greatly benefit from methadone. If used properly and under the care of addiction specialists, methadone has been show to decrease drug use and a number of other negative behaviors exhibited by opioid drug users.

However, methadone is an opioid and if used improperly it can be addictive. Taken in ways other than intended often contributes to a growing tolerance that leads to dependence and then to addiction.

When tolerance develops, a user needs to take more of a drug in order to achieve previous results. This leads to increased usage. As use increases, so does the body’s dependence upon the drug. Methadone users know they have a problem when withdrawal symptoms appear if they stop taking the drug.

That means that their brain has rewired itself to function with methadone in place. Without it in place, the brain freaks out and starts a series of reactions that result in negative side effects. Fear of withdrawal symptoms often keeps users using.

Clearly, if your methadone use has progressed to the point that you are feeling withdrawal symptoms, you need to be in treatment. You need help to cease using the drug. And, the first stage of rehab will be detox. You won’t be able to participate in formal drug addiction treatment until you no longer have methadone in your system. That’s what detox will help you to accomplish.

Knowing you need detox isn’t the same as understanding what happens in detox. The following discussion will cover detox and withdrawal basics. It will probably leave you with a few new questions. You don’t have to research to find them. You can give our experts a call at 800-315-1376 (Who Answers?). Don’t wait.

What Is Detox?

It seems like someone is always advocating their green smoothie cleanse or tea detox. The idea of detox has become inextricably linked to fad diets and exercise routines, along with cleanses and fasts. They all want you to think that they strip the toxins from your body. Whether or not they really do is debatable.

However, methadone detox assuredly gets the drugs out of your system. Detox is actually the process by which you transition from acutely intoxicated to a drug and alcohol free state. This is typically done using education, therapy, and medication.

Detoxing from opioids without the use of medication is generally considered inhumane. But, the medication of choice is usually methadone. Detox from methadone requires different offerings, like clonidine and buprenorphine.

What Are the Symptoms of Methadone Withdrawal?

Agitation and insomnia are common early stage methadone withdrawal symptoms.

According to the US National Library of Medicine, opioid withdrawals have two stages.

Early symptoms

• Yawning
• Agitation
• Perspiring
• Anxiety
• Runny nose
• Muscle aches and pains
• Insomnia and other trouble sleeping
• Increased tearing

Late symptoms

• Nausea and vomiting
• Abdominal cramping
• Goose bumps
• Diarrhea
• Dilated pupils

You can expect the severity of the symptoms to vary, depending upon your body, your drug use history, and the intensity of your addiction. These symptoms will be quite painful, but they will not kill you.

For What Length of Time Will I Go Through Withdrawal?

You should expect the first symptoms 30 hours after your last dose of methadone. Initially, you will experience the early stage symptoms. The intensity of the symptoms will increase as your detox goes forward.

Between the second day of detox and the tenth one, your cravings will be quite strong and your body will be desperate to get more methadone into itself. Outside of professional detox this often leads to relapse. In addition to trouble sleeping and anxiety, you may actually have hallucinations and paranoia at this time. By the end of this period, your flu-like symptoms should be easing up.

Between the eleventh and the twenty first day, you will feel the symptoms subsiding. But, you might still feel strong cravings and you may have residual depression. Feeling pleasure and getting motivated may feel impossible. Patients in professional treatment will be receiving therapy at this point and may also be taking antidepressants.

After the three-week mark, most symptoms should have come to a close. However, if your methadone addiction was severe, you may feel lingering symptoms.

To learn more about the ways that professional detox guides methadone users through their program, call 800-315-1376 (Who Answers?). We can even direct you to a detox program that will help you get clean and begin your recovery.