With all the recent talk in the news about opioid addiction and whether the war on drugs is actually a positive journey, research for safer solutions is looking like the best bet for a sober future.
For most local rehab treatment centers, methadone and counseling seem to be that solution. The only thing about methadone is that it is a drug itself with a highly addictive history.
None of this to say that it didn’t work for Americans last year. The most important part about this form of treatment is that you go participate supervision and counseling or else it may be ineffectiveThe most important part about this form of treatment is that a go along with supervision and counseling or else it may not work.
Methadone
Methadone itself falls under a category of drugs called opioids. The common meth substitute can be swallowed or injected although many who inject are doing this illegally. What most don’t know is that it was first concocted by German doctors during the World War II in the 1940s.
Initially, it was only used as a painkiller, but then morphed into a treatment for painkiller addiction recovery. Fast forward to 2018 and you can now look on Methadone.us to find Methadone clinics all over. You’ll be shocked to find so many easily accessible local resources in Illinois after typing Methadone near me into google.
An overdose on methadone is possible, if your use is not supervised by a medical professional thought treatment process. This is extremely important. Trying to administer replacement therapy on your own can be a fatal mistake. Go for your best chance and make it to a clinic in the city each morning for your specific dose.
Why Methadone, What Does It Do?
WebMD tells us, “Methadone changes the way your brain and nervous system respond to pain so that you feel relief. Its effects are slower than those of other strong painkillers like morphine. It blocks the high you get from drugs like codeine, heroin, hydrocodone, morphine, and oxycodone.” By blocking the high from other drugs using methadone can be used as a deterrent during treatment.
This also makes recovery easier in the sense of battling one drug over 2 or 3. The process of using methadone aka replacement therapy is meant to be temporary and used to help sooth withdrawals.
Despite this fact, studies from the NDIC show, there were 988 deaths attributed to methadone in 2000, while there were almost 3,000 attributed to other prescription opioids. In 2004, there were also 4,000 deaths attributed to methadone, and just over 5,000 to other prescription opioids.
The Tiny Print
So, here’s the tiny print on methadone, a.k.a. the side effects. Using methadone over a long period of time can make major changes for the body. The most extreme being that it can even change a woman’s menstrual cycle!
Talk about a biology switch. Along with that, you may see changes to your lungs and how you breathe. Long-term changes aren’t the only thing to look out for. In the beginning of treatment just like with any other medicine you may notice hiccups in your bodily system.
Just in case, take the time to review the list below:
- Restlessness
- Nausea or Throw up
- Slow breath
- Itchy skin
- Heavy sweating
- Constipation
- Sexual problems
Some side effects are more serious. Call the doctor for these:
- trouble breathing or can only take shallow breaths
- Feel lightheaded or faint
- hives or a rash
- swollen lips, tongue, throat, or face
- chest pain or a rapid heartbeat
- hallucinations
Although these symptoms may seem dire the real problem with Methadone is that the patient may become reliant on the medication to solve their pain and stress and in result become just as addicted. This is where counseling comes in.
Counseling
Counseling is for getting to the root of the problem. Many individuals get addicted to painkillers and opioids through being prescribed the medication and abusing the prescription. The best way to stop the cycle is to fix the reason the individual got prescribed in the first place.
Some issues are more than skin deep and going through therapy can help dissect triggers and growth through the treatment process. Recovery without support is not a pleasant road.
They’re all different types of counseling while going through recovery. A recovery patient can attend therapy in groups or get personal, one on one sessions from a therapist. There’re even programs that work residentially or inpatient.
The benefits of group session seem to be the amount of support when receives from those going through the same situation. Two common examples of this are Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous. Attendees are likely to be presented with chips to show the amount of time they’ve been sober.
This can help push them over the milestones. As far as personal therapy, this can be beneficial because there is no care like personalized care. Having an individualized rehab treatment program gives you your best chance at success and avoiding relapse.
The Tiny Print
The tiny print for counseling, though it can’t hurt you physically the side effects more is in the pain it causes your pockets. Rehab can be quite expensive but if you have insurance, that can offset the price.
As mentioned above searching through your local resources is always going to be the best course of action. More specifically those group therapy examples mentioned above like AA. These are typically free and held at local churches or resource centers. Start there and You won’t be lead astray.
