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Addiction Treatment Atlanta
Addiction treatment in Atlanta has come a long way especially as it applies to the GLBT community. For years the gay community, as large as it was in Atlanta, seemed to receive little attention as it applied to addiction treatment. It seemed as though Atlanta addiction treatment was completely geared to the heterosexual community.
While [...]
What is drug addiction treatment?
There are many addictive drugs, and addiction treatments for specific drugs can differ. Addiction Treatment also varies depending on the characteristics of the patient.
Problems associated with an individual’s drug addiction can vary significantly. People who are addicted to drugs come from all walks of life. Many suffer from mental health, occupational, health, or social problems [...]
Top Ten Drug Movies ? Rated by a Drug Addict
Am I a drug addict? Yes I am, although I haven?t used in nearly 5 days. That?s actually an achievement for me. They say you need to take your mind off of the drugs, off of using, stop hanging out with the same people, pick up a new hobby?all of those things sound [...]
Drug Addiction Relapse
One of the many problems people face in addiction treatment today is relapse, and the idea that relapse is a part of recovery. But what we need to understand and believe is that relapse is not a part of recovery. It?s just a dangerous slogan that is based on myth, and it only gives people [...]
Residential Treatment Centers
My addiction problem progressed slowly over such long period of time it was difficult to admit I had a problem. I graduated from a good university had a good job and married a wonderful woman. We had two children and a good social life and owned a home in an upscale neighbor hood. I was [...]
Methadone Detox and Addiction
Methadone detox is treatment for methadone addiction. Methadone detox is extremely difficult, since the drug’s effects are long-lasting and methadone is readily stored in the body's tissue.
What is methadone and how is it used?
Methadone is a synthetic painkiller with pharmacological properties similar to morphine and heroin. Prescribed for patients with severe pain, such as those with serious injuries or those who have undergone major surgery, methadone works in the brain to decrease the sensation of pain and to mute the emotional response to pain. Methadone is a (synthetic opiate) narcotic that when administered once a day, orally, in adequate doses, can usually suppress a heroin addict's craving and withdrawal for 24 hours. Available as tablets, dispersible tablets, liquid, and liquid concentrate, methadone is generally taken every 3-4 hours for severe pain and every 6-8 hours for chronic pain. Unlike the immediate high from many opiates, methadone’s narcotic effect is delayed, which makes it extremely dangerous and easy for methadone addiction to occur.
Methadone is also used as a replacement therapy for opiate addiction. Patients become as physically dependent on methadone as they were to heroin or other opiates, such as Oxycotin or Vicodin. Ironically, methadone used to control narcotic addiction or opiate addiction is frequently encountered on the illicit market and has been associated with a number of methadone overdose deaths. Tolerance and addiction to methadone is a dangerous threat, as methadone withdrawal results from the cessation of use. Many people suffering from heroin addiction have claimed that the horrors of heroin addiction withdrawal were far less painful and difficult than methadone withdrawal following methadone addiction. Many people go from having a heroin addiction to having a methadone addiction and continue with this "treatment" for years, fearing the methadone withdrawal that will occur when they stop taking the methadone. This is why seeking methadone detox is a critical choice.
Methadone Detox
Methadone detox should take place within a methadone detox unit inside of a drug rehab. Methadone detox is a gradual process and methadone takes longer to detox from than other opiates. Due to the constant monitoring a person requires in methadone detox, 24 hour nursing and medical supervision is highly suggested. The detox program should be managed by a physician familiar with addiction medicine. Besides the medical monitoring that is required for methadone detox, many who suffer from methadone addiction require inpatient addiction treatment of inpatient drug rehab. The transition and continuity of care is greater when a person can transfer directly from a methadone detox program that is located right inside the drug rehab.
Methadone does not have to be the way of life for former heroin addicts. Gradual cessation from the methadone, followed by a drug addiction treatment program, could be the answer for many methadone addicts. After several days of stabilizing a patient with methadone, the amount can be gradually decreased. The rate at which it is decreased is dependent upon the methadone withdrawal symptoms experienced by the patient.
If you would like additional information about methadone detox or methadone addiction or for admission to Lakeview’s methadone rehab program or methadone detox, please call 1-866-657-4357.
Methadone Withdrawal Symptoms
Methadone withdrawal symptoms include but are not limited to:
- sneezing
- yawning
- tearing of eyes
- runny nose
- excessive perspiration
- fever
- dilated pupils
- abdominal cramps
- nausea
- body aches
- tremors
- irritability
If you would like additional information about methadone detox or methadone addiction or for admission to Lakeview’s methadone rehab program or methadone detox, please call 1-866-657-4357.