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Methadone
Maintenance
What is Methadone Maintenance?
First of all, methadone is a long-acting, synthetic, narcotic
drug first used to treat drug addiction in the U.S. in the
1960s. Methadone is an opiate "agonist" which
when used in proper doses will stop cravings and symptoms
of opiate withdrawal. Methadone is taken orally and, at
the proper dose, does not create euphoria, sedation, or
an analgesic effect.
Methadone maintenance is a treatment regimen that combines
the use of methadone with counseling and support services
designed to relieve the symptoms of withdrawal, then stabilize
the client to feel normal and free from the cravings for
street opioids, and finally to block the effects of street
opioids, called a "blockade" effect. Methadone
does not change behavior or choices, but it does free the
client from effects of opioid addiction to the extent that
behavior can be changed and better choices can be made.
Suboxone Maintenance and Detox
What is Suboxone?
Suboxone is actually two medications formulated to work together. Buprenorphine and Naloxone have both been around for a long time, but only fairly recently have they been approved, in combination, to treat opioid dependency. Suboxone is a partial agonist-antagonist combination which will provide many of the same withdrawal relieving effects as methadone. It is a medication taken sublingually (under the tongue) once a day. The benefits of the Naloxone is that when Suboxone is abused or too much is taken, the antagonist effects create withdrawal so there is motivation to take this medication as prescribed and little benefit to abusing it.
Suboxone is a treatment regimen that combines medication with counseling support services designed to eliminate the symptoms of withdrawal, then stabilize the client to feel normal and free from the cravings for street opioids, and finally to help block the effects of street opioids, called a "blockade" effect. Suboxone does not change behavior or choices, but it does free the client from effects of opioid addiction to the extent that behavior can be changed and better choices can be made.
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