Methadone Detox Procedures

According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, methadone is a synthetic opioid drug used in detox for addiction to opiates such as heroin or morphine. The White House states that 20 percent of the approximately 810,000 heroin users in the U.S. are currently receiving the medication.

The White House Drug Policy resource lays out specific procedures for methadone detox, which have been carefully refined for more than 30 years. Taking a look at these is an important step in deciding if this sort of treatment is right for you or a loved one.

Methadone Detox Procedures

• Detoxifying from an opiate addiction using methadone begins by locating a nearby clinic that dispenses the medication. The MethadoneTreatment website is excellent for this purpose (see Resources), and can help you with this crucial first step in detox.

  Once admitted to a methadone clinic, a once-a-day dose is administered that will reduce both withdrawal symptoms and craving from the opiate addiction. Methadone clinics have strictly regulated stages of treatment, and usually you must return to the clinic every day to receive your dose. One procedure for detox involves taking a dose of methadone once daily over a thirty day period, with the dose gradually lowered until you are addiction-free.

Methadone Maintenance Procedures

• Methadone detox, says the White House, can require more or less time depending on the person and the severity of addiction. In some cases, the Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) procedure is advised for a slower, more gradual detoxification.

  The Methadone Maintenance Treatment detox procedure involves stabilizing the patient at a steady methadone dose, helping to return a biochemical balance to the body. Maintenance also allows the detoxifying patient time for drug abuse counseling and individual health care from an accredited physician.

Things to Consider

• Every procedure at a methadone clinic--from dispensing the drug to keeping individual records--is meticulously overseen and documented under regulations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and individual state law.

  The White House endorses methadone as a relatively safe form of detox. Because methadone is a controlled substance and there is some potential for abuse, the established procedures governing its availability and use help to ensure that the medication is used only for what it is meant--freeing an individual from the dangers of unregulated opiate addiction.