Opiate addiction has reached epidemic levels in the United States. In 2017, President Trump declared a public health emergency in response to the opiate epidemic. Drug overdoses have become the leading of cause of accidental death in the country, with many overdoses related to Fentanyl laced heroin. Prescription opiates like oxycodone are among the most commonly prescribed, and abused, medications in the country. Various forms of treatment for opiate addiction exist, including methadone. But what is methadone and what is the methadone definition?
Opiates like heroin, OxyContin, and oxycodone are neurotransmitter inhibitors and cause your brain to release excessive amounts of dopamine, causing a rush of pleasure when you take opiates. Your brain can become dependent on opiates to release dopamine and cause you to experience intense cravings and withdrawal symptoms when you don’t use.
What is Opiate Addiction?
Opiates are physically and psychologically addictive. Prescription opiates, like Vicodin and OxyContin, typically treat severe, chronic and traumatic pain. Unfortunately, even during short-term use, you can become addicted to opiates and need a methadone detox center in Houston.
Sings and symptoms of opiate addiction include:
- Illegally obtaining opiates
- Experiencing physical withdrawal symptoms when you stop using
- Impaired judgment
- Isolating from others in order to use opiates
- Blacking out or overdosing from opiate use
- Having to increase your opiate use to achieve the same pleasurable effects
When you develop an opiate dependency, you can experience painful and uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. You can continue to experience intense cravings even after detoxing, which can make recovery difficult.
What is Methadone?
So, what is methadone? The methadone definition is that it is a prescription opiate used to help you detox from opiates. It is a long acting opiate and is sometimes used as a form of long-term medication assisted therapy. When you take it regularly, effects can last up to 36 hours.
The effects of methadone occur within 45 minutes of use. Methadone typically comes in a liquid form. It helps titrate off of opiates to limit withdrawal symptoms. When methadone helps detox you from opiates, you typically receive a slowly decreasing daily dose for 1 to 4 weeks.
Methadone partially blocks opiate receptors, making it difficult to experience intoxicating effects from opiates. Methadone can also be used for several months as a way to decrease cravings and stabilize you during recovery.
Although there are treatment benefits connected to methadone, it is physically and psychologically addicting. If you continue using methadone for an extended period of time, you will experience withdrawal symptoms when you stop using.
Finding Help Today
After understanding what is methadone and the definition of methadone, it is important to remember that it has several therapeutic benefits during recovery. Treatment centers often utilize medications like methadone to make opiate detox and withdrawal more tolerable and to alleviate severe withdrawal symptoms. Completing detox is necessary in order to fully recover from opiate addiction. Serenity House Detox & Recovery Houston provides you with the compassionate, supportive environment you need to safely detox. Call us today a 866.516.8356 to find out more about our programs.
