About Methadone Treatment

Methadone maintenance is a treatment, not a cure. It prevents opioid withdrawal and reduces or eliminates drug cravings. Through treatment, those who are addicted to opiates are able to receive the medical support they need to help stabilize and improve their lives. When beginning methadone treatment some may experience effects similar to those of all opioid drugs, however, as treatment continues a stable dose is established and tolerance to these effects develop. Treatment using methadone doesn’t interfere with thought processes, those in treatment often describe the feeling of being on methadone as normal and they are able to go to work, school, and care for their family. Methadone maintenance is a long term treatment, though length of treatment may vary anywhere from a year to even 20 years or more. Long term treatment of the proper dose of methadone is medically safe and is currently one of the most effective treatments available for opioid addiction.