Methadone Treatment: Isn’t It Just an Alternative Addiction?

by Lisa Frederiksen

I was asked about Methadone Treatment for prescription drug addiction and learned that I did not fully understand it, myself. I contacted Tim Cheney, co-founder of Chooper’s Guide,  and learned the following:

Q. What is methadone treatment and for what reasons is it used?
A. Methadone is used for two reasons:

1. detoxification from other drugs classified as narcotics, e.g., vicodan, oxyconten, dilaudid, morphine and heroin
2. methadone maintenance, which is long-term, basically replacement therapy for narcotic, aka opioid, addiction, where the patient is administered methadone on a daily basis at a dosage sufficient to suppress cravings and block the euphoric feeling narcotics provide.

Q. Is it addictive?
A.  Yes. It is a synthetic narcotic that has the same addictive properties as any other drug in this classification, e.g., opioids.

Q.  So why would it be prescribed, then?
A.  Some patients are not able to abstain totally — e.g., repeated  relapses — and thus methadone is used in a “harm reduction” effort to allow the drug addict to stabilize their life, i.e., work, have a family and remain socially engaged, similar to the way a diabetic might use insulin. Take a heroin addict, for example. Methadone is administered orally every 24 hours in a safe, controlled environment, whereas a heroin addict requires an injection dose every 4-6 hours and is exposed to all sorts of life-threatening opportunities, including: HIV-Aids due to dirty needles, street violence, homelessness, etc. As the addict gains control of their life, the ultimate goal of any methadone clinic is to detoxify the addict of methadone so they are entirely drug free. Many patients are on methadone maintenance for many years, whereas some are on it for one to two.

For additional information on opioid dependence and treatment, please visit Chooper’s Guide.