Methadone Withdrawal Symptoms, Timeline, and Detox Treatment
Start by having a conversation about why you want to get off methadone and set goals. Your healthcare provider will determine a safe taper level that will gradually wean you off methadone. A taper done by a medical professional can prevent severe withdrawal symptoms. That being said, methadone can stay in a person’s system for anywhere from as little as 8 hours to as long as two weeks. Methadone is most commonly given to people who are in treatment for addiction to certain substances such as opioids and narcotics.
When does methadone peak and duration?
The current state of your health, weight, and other similar factors go into determining how long you can be on methadone. This also means if you have a likelihood of developing certain diseases, methadone treatment duration will likely be minimal. Depending on your current health, methadone treatment can be longer or shorter. Rest assured, regardless of how long or short your methadone treatment period is, there’s no shortage of top-quality treatment options to help you get through to the other side.
Get Effective Methadone Maintenance Treatment at a Premier California Rehab
- The intent behind these medications is to alleviate withdrawal symptoms.
- These bouts will come about when your body craves another methadone dose.
- Cycling through relapse and treatment can worsen health outcomes in the long run.
- Methadone is a powerful drug that can stay in the body for a long time, affecting different parts of the system even after you stop taking it.
- A taper done by a medical professional can prevent severe withdrawal symptoms.
- While the main medical use of methadone is to help when people refrain from or detox from other illicit substances, in some cases methadone is the substance that a person will need treatment for.
Once you are chemically dependent on a drug, you may experience withdrawal symptoms once you try to stop using it. Although it is often used to treat opioid withdrawals, this drug can also cause its own withdrawals. The drug stays present in your system for quite a long time period, which means that it can take a long time to get out of your system as well. Ongoing individual therapy and/or participation in community support programs are often components of an aftercare plan. People with an opioid use disorder can achieve recovery through evidence-based addiction treatment.
- When you put too much methadone in your system, you run the risk of overdosing.
- That said, methadone doesn’t trigger the same euphoria, especially at the doses used in treatment.
- If the individual has a history of opiate addiction and is currently not using, it is possible that they are taking a replacement drug.
- As we mentioned above, despite being a type of opioid, methadone doesn’t produce the same intense euphoric feelings that other opioids do.
- Withdrawal symptoms are strongest in the first 7 to 10 days but can linger for weeks.
Personal Choice
By addressing methadone addiction alongside any co-occurring disorders, individualized treatment plans cater to each person’s specific needs to ensure they receive the best treatment. Therapeutic effects of methadone include alleviating withdrawal symptoms from OUD, reducing the perception of pain and preventing opioids from creating euphoria. If you detox from methadone in a professional treatment center, for example, you eliminate the risk of an overdose. Detox facilities like Northpoint Washington are drug-free campuses where you’ll have no access to the substance you’re addicted to. Because withdrawals can be painful, addicts who detox at home often relapse in order to stop their symptoms.
Related treatment guides
This page explains how methadone moves through the body, how long it stays in the urine, hair, and blood, and what factors make this time different for everyone. It also explores methadone’s safety, how it is regulated, and how it impacts the brain and body. Therefore, methadone treatment doesn’t have to be for drug addiction treatment life, but it can if a certain patient needs it to be.
- At an appropriate dose, methadone should help someone feel normal rather than high since the goal is to relieve withdrawal symptoms and cravings without creating euphoria.
- Detox facilities like Northpoint Washington are drug-free campuses where you’ll have no access to the substance you’re addicted to.
- While there have been attempts to limit the availability of the drug, it is still available on the streets.
- The immersive nature of inpatient rehab enables you to focus on recovery fully without triggers or distractions.
- Methadone treatment duration is heavily dependent on your treatment goals and needs.
Before specializing in addiction medicine, he spent 25 years in anesthesiology, serving as Chair of Hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and Chief of Anesthesia at Kaiser Permanente. This experience gives him a unique perspective on treating prescription drug addiction. Should you or a loved one grapple with methadone addiction, don’t hesitate to contact Crestview Recovery for more information on methadone addiction treatment and support. Our experienced team of addiction specialists can help you navigate the complexities of methadone use and guide you towards the most effective treatment options for your unique situation. These blood tests provide valuable information for healthcare professionals to ensure the safe and effective use of methadone in treatment.
This is why methadone should only be taken under close medical supervision. Beyond this, the long methadone half-life is useful for maintaining stable blood levels, enabling people to take the medication once daily and reduce the chances of cravings throughout the day. That said, this also means that stopping methadone use must be done gradually, as the drug will continue to affect the methadone withdrawal body even after the last dose. Just because a substance doesn’t produce a high doesn’t mean it’s not addictive.
Start Recovery Today
Determining how long methadone treatment will take may not be possible at the outset of treatment since each person reacts differently to the drug. On average, methadone treatment duration can last anywhere from six months to two years or more depending on a person’s treatment needs, according to the U.S. Methadone is offered in some inpatient, residential, and outpatient treatment programs. It is recommended to avoid grapefruit, caffeine, processed foods, and alcohol during methadone treatment, as these substances can interfere with the metabolism of the drug.