Ultimate Guide to Methadone Withdrawal
Methadone is an opioid that is FDA-approved as a long-acting Schedule II painkiller for treating opioid use disorder. The medicine interacts with your brain’s opioid receptors to moderate withdrawal symptoms. Methadone’s efficacy is indisputable, and it’s one of the cheapest analgesics prescribed for chronic pain. Healthcare providers combine it with counseling and behavioral therapies to boost its efficiency.
Methadone is prescribed to people battling short-term or long-term opioid drug addictions. While it is listed as an essential medicine by the World Health Organization methadone itself is an opioid with addictive properties. However, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) SAMHSA considers it safe and effective when used as prescribed. Still, withdrawing from methadone can be problematic.
How Methadone Works
When you take methadone, acts much like other opioids and produces similar effects. As methadone is introduced to your bloodstream, it attaches to your brain’s mu-opioid receptors to relieve pain. Used in replacement therapy, it also blocks the high from several narcotics as well as the craving for them.
Chronic methadone use can make the system accustomed to its effects. As your body develops a tolerance for methadone, you have to take more to achieve the original analgesic effects. Continual use makes the brain reliant on the drug.
Methadone Withdrawal
Opioid withdrawal
can occur when someone gradually reduces the normal dose or suddenly stops using the drug altogether.
Methadone-related withdrawal symptoms are similar to those of quitting other opioids. Reducing or discontinuing methadone seldom causes life-threatening conditions, but it can cause troublesome psychological and medical symptoms. They include:
• Dehydration
• Diarrhea
• Choking
• Vomiting
• Depression
• Aggressive behavior
• Suicidal thoughts
Some users are at a higher risk of relapse than others. Detoxing without medicine from a doctor increases the risk of relapse.
Side Effects of Withdrawing From Methadone
Withdrawing methadone has varied side effects. When most methadone users stop or reduce their normal dosage, they experience symptoms like these:
• High levels of bad temper and nervousness
• Vomiting, dehydration, and uneasiness
• Extreme levels of sweating and body heat
• High levels of anxiety and increased risk of depression
• Running nose coupled with watery eyes
• Sleep deprivation
• Increased yawning
• Nausea and diarrhea
• Goosebumps and stomach cramps
Acute Effects of Stopping Methadone Use
Severe methadone withdrawal symptoms last no more than three weeks. However, some clients complain of withdrawal symptoms several months later. Cases of post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS) have been reported among people trying to stop methadone use. The PAWS symptoms are severe and can be dangerous if not managed by a medical expert. These side effects include:
• Poor decision-making skills
• Increased cases of downheartedness
• Reduced energy levels
• Muscle pain
• Sleep problems
• Impaired concentration and poor mental focus
• Poor cognition and confusion
How to Reduce Withdrawal Side Effects
For anyone experiencing the acute side effects of withdrawing from methadone use, it’s only normal to want to know how to reduce them. Here are some simple and cost-effective ways to reduce the side effects of withdrawal.
Stay Hydrated
Extreme cases of vomiting and diarrhea will leave you dehydrated. Drinking eight glasses of water a day can keep you hydrated. As you take water, eat salty foods, and drink non-carbonated, sugary drinks to restore the salts and sugars you lose through diarrhea and vomiting. Avoid carbonated drinks, as they can worsen nausea and cause bloating.
Stay Active and Busy
Anxiety and depression can overwhelm you if you’re lazing around. If you keep yourself busy watching movies, reading books, or engaging in physical activities, you can overshadow depression and anxiety. Avoid moving too much, though, as that could worsen nausea and body aches.
Preserve Your Emotional Health
Avoid people and situations that threaten your emotional stability and happiness. Look for support groups and interact with other people who are trying to quit methadone use. In other words, look for a supportive team, and participate in positive conversations, not ones that leave you uneasy or drained.
Effective Treatments to Ease Withdrawal Symptoms
Those who want to quit methadone use should consult a medical expert. If the symptoms aren’t severe, you get a prescription medication such as oxybutynin, clonidine, meclizine, or loperamide to neutralize the withdrawal symptoms. Your doctor will prescribe medicine after assessing your addiction level.
Professional treatments combine comprehensive therapy with medical detox. Medical experts may taper off your withdrawal or switch you to safer prescription medicine, depending on your addiction level. The following are medications primarily used for treating withdrawal from methadone.
Buprenorphine
Buprenorphine is an FDA-approved semisynthetic sedative drug for treating opioid cravings. Methadone should be taken under expert medical watch, and clients can only get their everyday dosage from specified medical clinics. Luckily, buprenorphine is safe enough to be prescribed for take-home use. Although buprenorphine has properties to those of methadone, it is rarely abused.
L-alpha-acetylmethadol
L-alpha-acetylmethadol is a Schedule II drug mainly prescribed for people undergoing treatment for opioid addiction. It’s a safe and effective alternative to methadone, known for its ability to help methadone abusers battle addiction. However, prolonged drug use can cause serious side effects, including abnormal liver function, high blood pressure, rash, and nausea.
Alongside the two medications above, medics prescribe psychiatric drugs to help with the withdrawal recovery process. Psychiatric medicines are suitable for treating emotional and psychological side effects of withdrawal from methadone. Medics can also use anxiety and depression-treating medications to relieve the side effects of methadone. Most of these medications are administered under the professional support of psychiatrists.
Complementary Therapies
Chinese herbal medicines and acupuncture do an excellent job of easing the discomfort of withdrawal. Essential oil aromatherapy has been proven to help relieve nausea. Research has confirmed that isopropyl alcohol-based aromatherapy has the ability to reduce nausea.
Methadone Withdrawal Timeline: Everything to Know
When you stop using methadone, you’ll experience varied symptoms, depending on environmental and physiological factors. The effects may last for weeks, months, or even years, depending on these factors:
• The methadone dosage you’re used to
• How long you have used methadone
• Your weight
• Your age
• Genetics
• Relapse history
• The severity of your addiction
• Your support network
Most people experience initial withdrawal symptoms after 24 hours. These are flu-like symptoms such as fever, sweating, and muscle aches.
The symptoms will get severe in the first week of withdrawing from methadone use. This is when you’ll need a working support system and a viable detox program. The symptoms experienced during this withdrawal stage include:
• Insomnia
• Irritability
• Hallucinations
• Cravings
• Sadness
• Queasiness
• Spasms
Around nine to 15 days, most of the severe symptoms will subside. However, depending on your addiction level and the quality of your support system, you might or might not experience cravings, fatigue, and mood swings. A good support system and detox program can help you battle the desire to start using again.
After 15 days of not using methadone, the symptoms may decline or increase. At this stage, you will note that you’re getting persistent hankerings. You’ll also have difficulty falling asleep, and your energy levels will reduce significantly. In addition, you may suffer from post-acute withdrawal symptoms (PAWS). Unfortunately, PAWS may last for months or even years in some people. Other symptoms you may experience at this stage are poor concentration, irritability, and displeasure.
Can Detoxing Help with Methadone Addiction?
Methadone detox is the most recommended treatment for methadone addiction. Professional detoxification services streamline the withdrawal and recovery processes. Detoxification programs combine strategies tailored to the client’s unique withdrawal symptoms. Detoxification programs are managed by qualified and well-equipped staff.
Detoxification uses techniques that enable the user to gradually reduce the amount of methadone consumed. Medical professionals will switch some methadone users to detoxification medications such as clonidine. The withdrawal symptoms might initially get stronger and harder to manage. These are the main reasons clients must undergo detoxification under professional supervision and in an environment that meets their unique needs.
People seeking faster detoxification could consider ultra-rapid or rapid detoxification options. Such treatment options combine the use of opioid antagonists such as naltrexone, benzodiazepines, and clonidine to stop the unwanted symptoms. The ultra-rapid withdrawal treatment process often speeds up and lessens the withdrawal timeline by several weeks.
Clients are placed under medical substance use and mental health treatments when undergoing detox treatment. Detox is enough to help you battle the addiction but doesn’t ensure victory over all the other conditions associated with the addiction. Your doctor may combine detox with these treatment options:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
This treatment option is customized to help methadone users understand what causes the cravings and discover the most effective behavioral and thought changes that can help them abstain from using methadone. Studies have shown that cognitive-behavioral therapy is one of the most effective treatments for methadone dependence and withdrawal symptoms. People availing themselves of this treatment can expect to experience fewer opioid-dependence withdrawal symptoms.
Family Counseling
This treatment process involves training family members involved in the patient’s withdrawal treatment process. Family members are taught effective and functional communication skills to help the client move successfully toward recovery. Family counseling has been shown to increase the success rate of methadone treatment.
Motivational Interviewing
This type of training spurs internal motivation to help the client battle future cravings for methadone. Motivational interviewing is a therapeutic method recommended for people undergoing substance use disorders and methadone addiction. It’s often conducted to help the client commit and stay motivated to achieve the goal of sobriety.
Contingency Management
In contingency management interventions, clients undergoing treatment are often rewarded for achieving a particular goal. The rewards came in the form of vouchers and cash. The goal is to empower and encourage them to work harder to achieve the next goal. There are many benefits of introducing contingency management in treating methadone addiction. The benefits include boosting abstinence rates and encouraging clients to be more dedicated to core goals.
What to Anticipate When You Enter a Detox Center
A lot happens when you visit a methadone detox center. The medical team will assess you to understand your addiction level and present intoxication levels. That enables them to determine how much care is needed. The doctors will also conduct tests to determine if you have any physical or mental illness. The doctors will conduct a drug test to determine the chemicals present in your system. The assessment makes it easy for clients to get appropriate care and treatment.
The detox process involves checking your current medical condition. You might need to go through a stabilization process if you’re not medically fit. Most likely, the doctor may prescribe nutritional supplements, fluids, or medications. You’ll be kept under round-the-clock medication if your intoxication and addition levels are severe. The time a client spends in the detox center will depend on the addiction level, and the amount of methadone consumed. Methadone addicts with a negative relapse history may spend more time in the detox center.
Self-medication is not recommended when you are battling methadone addiction. In fact, it’s not a safe route to withdrawal symptoms treatment as it could trigger various health threats to the victims. Enroll in the best detox center you can find to increase your chances of success in recovery.
