Methadone Treatment in Los Angeles, CA

Methadone Treatment

Methadone is a synthetic, long-acting opioid pain medication. Sometimes, methadone treatment is used to help people overcome opioid addiction, such as those to heroin. When it is taken as prescribed, it can be beneficial. However, methadone is frequently abused and combined with other controlled substances. Methadone treatment has risks.

Buprenorphine (Suboxone) has become a much more popular medication for opioid detox and medication assisted treatment (MAT) than methadone treatment because there is much lower risk and fewer negative side effects. If you or someone you know has developed a methadone addiction, reach out to Transformations Care. We can help you leave methadone behind.

How Methadone Works

Methadone is a drug that works on the user’s brain – binding together the same receptors that other opioids do such as OxyContin and heroin. Methadone has a long half-life which helps make it useful as a harm reduction medication. By occupying opioid receptors it can stave off cravings and also prevent someone from getting (as) high if they slip up and use an opioid. But this long half-life also means that detoxing off of methadone treatment is notoriously tricky.

Since methadone is so long-acting, it can quickly build up in a person’s system and stay there for some time. It is crucial that anyone who has a methadone prescription uses it as it is prescribed. There is a chance of someone overdosing on this drug if they use too much of it at once. Some users have been known to combine methadone with sedatives or benzodiazepines like Xanax, Klonopin or Valium. This creates a serious risk of respiratory arrest and death. Methadone treatment programs typically drug test patients, but even that cannot stop someone from abusing another drug.

Here at Transformations Care, our team can help you or your loved one to come off methadone or other drugs.

Side Effects from Methadone Use

Do you or someone you know use methadone? If you are abusing this drug, it can cause:

• Dizziness
• Lightheadedness
• Constipation
• Drowsiness
• Sleepiness
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Confusion
• Impaired cognitive
• Impaired coordination or balance
• Forgetfulness

These are just some of the many different ways that methadone can impact a person’s body and mind. Don’t keep letting this drug take over your life. You can walk away from methadone treatment or abuse by starting in a detox program today.

Methadone Overdose Symptoms

Did you know it is as about as easy to overdose on methadone as it is with any other opioid? Some of the symptoms of a methadone overdose include:

• Clammy, bluish skin
• Shallow, slow breathing
• Bluish fingertips and/or lips
• Extreme fatigue (inability to stay awake)
• Convulsions
• Stupor
• Nausea and/or vomiting
• Coma or even death

If you mix other drugs with methadone, the chances of overdosing are much higher than just using one drug on its own. Whether you are abusing methadone or you are in methadone treatment, if this drug is ruining your life, please reach out to our Transformations Care team today. We can get you the resources needed to start overcoming your addiction or dependence on methadone.

Methadone Withdrawal Symptoms and Process

Methadone treatment was originally made to treat heroin addiction and it can be used in other addiction treatment programs. Because of the long half-life, the withdrawal symptoms aren’t as intense as other opioids nor to they start as early. The problem is that they tend to linger a lot longer. Patients in methadone treatment programs who stop taking methadone without a detox report symptoms even weeks after their last dose.

Some of these symptoms you may have include:

• Runny nose
• Watery eyes
• Sweating
• Chills and/or fever
• Shaking and/or tremors
• Diarrhea
• Muscle aches
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea and/or vomiting
• Depression
• Irritability and/or anxiety
• Insomnia
• Restlessness
• Tachycardia

If you are worried about dealing with these withdrawal symptoms when you stop using methadone, don’t worry. You can reach out to our Transformations Care team, so we can help you to get the treatment that you need.

The Addiction Treatment You Need and Deserve

Methadone Addiction Treatment Options

Whether you started abusing this drug recreationally or after you had a prescription for it, the treatment solutions can be the same. It can be tough to overcome a methadone addiction on your own. It may take a combination of medication-assisted detox, therapy options and other addiction rehab treatments to help you get clean from and into recovery from methadone addiction.

Since methadone is a type of opioid, you should attend a detox program that uses various medications to help taper you off methadone. Some of the medications that may be used in this process include:

• Buprenorphine
• L-alpha-acetylmethadol (LAAM)
• Psychiatric medications

The exact combination of medications that will be used to help you overcome a methadone addiction can vary. It depends on your history with this drug and with other drugs, too.

In addition to the detox process, there are other treatment programs that you can attend to help you stop using and get into recovery from methadone. Some of these treatment options include:

• Individual therapy
• Group therapy
• Family therapy
• Art therapy
• Nutritional therapy
• Meditation
• Yoga
• Outpatient treatment
• Intensive Outpatient Treatment
• Partial Hospitalization Program
• Inpatient treatment

Just as with the medications used during the detox process, the exact treatments you will receive can vary based on your needs at the time. Some people start in an outpatient treatment program, only to find they need more support and then they move into an inpatient treatment program. Others will start in a detox program, go into an inpatient treatment program and head into an outpatient program once those two steps are done. It is up to you and your care team. If you want help getting in touch with a care team, contact us here today at Transformations Care.

Co-Occurring Disorders – Methadone Use and Mental Health

Do you know what a co-occurring disorder is? Many people aren’t quite sure. In this context, it means a mental health disorder which occurs along with addiction. For example, you might have an addiction to methadone and also have a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). That would mean the PTSD is your co-occurring disorder. Treatment for people with co-occurring disorders is often called dual-diagnosis treatment.

If someone is struggling with an addiction and mental health disorder at the same time, it is important to keep this in mind. Treating both these things at the same time is the best way to help them overcome and work through each of the issues. If one of these things – either the addiction or the mental health disorder – aren’t treated at the same time as the other, it significantly decreases the odds of successful recovery. If you want to know more about how these types of treatments work, give us a call.

Get Into a Methadone Addiction Treatment Program

Do you or someone you know have an addiction to methadone? Whether you began using this drug recreationally or when coming off from another drug, there are treatment options available to you. It may not seem like taking more medications is the right choice for getting clean from methadone, however, that is sometimes necessary during the detox process. There are medication-assisted treatments that can help with this process.

In addition to the information above, there are various other treatments that can help a person to overcome a methadone addiction such as inpatient and outpatient treatment and individual and group therapy.

If you or someone you know has an addiction to methadone, don’t keep letting that addiction tear you apart. You can get the help you need and it all starts with reaching out to our Transformations Care team today. Someone from our team will help you to find the resources and treatment programs needed to get you through this addictive lifestyle and into recovery.

Contact us today, here at Transformations Care, to get help finding a methadone addiction treatment program. We will help you get your life back on track.