Methadone
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Methadone
Introduction
Methadone can be classified among the drugs known as opioids. German doctors created it during World War II. Upon arrival in the United States, doctors used the drug to treat extreme pain. Today, Methadone is used as part of a treatment for heroin addiction or other narcotic painkillers. However, doctors recommending Methadone have to be careful with the patient as they have to keep close watch over the patient to easily slip into methadone addiction. The primary reason for choosing this topic for discussion is to analyze the significant benefits of Methadone and its disadvantages as well. This topic is so close to me since I have personally experienced a damaged family’s societal changes due to this drug. My stepmother was on a prescription of pain meds after she was involved in an accident. After a few months, she got into a methadone maintenance program to treat her opiate addiction. This not only leads to an addiction to prescription pain killers but also a new addiction to Methadone. This addiction continues for ten years in my primary, middle, and high school years. Based on my personal experience with Methadone, I believe it is a drug that should draw the legal system’s attention in the United States. I understand that some abusers have treatment options, but it can also quickly become a self-abusing drug. This is a situation that happens more often than most people know or assume. Besides, it is essential to understand the dynamics of the drug within the brain and the nervous system in response to pain.
Opiate addiction has become a significant concern around the world today. This leaves many public health officials looking for alternatives and solutions to curb the problems that opiate addiction brings along. Methadone treatment has come out as a significant solution to addictions, specifically heroin addictions. However, Methadone in itself is being abused as a drug and being abused. Besides, the reason for this topic is to analyze the social impacts of Methadone on individuals. The research paper will mainly focus on how Methadone is used, its side effects and the various risks associated with using the drug, the effects within the brain and the body, which will incorporate the drug’s social effects.
How Methadone is used
According to Kruger (2012), Methadone is used for practical pain management. It possesses various properties that can be classified as unique among the opioid class of drugs. When Methadone is compared with Morphine, it possesses a more significant effect on the patient as it lacks active metabolites and a minimal accumulation on patients with renal diseases.
Besides, the efficiency of Methadone on cancer patients has been studied in detail. Although doctors cannot recommend Methadone as the first take of opioids for cancer patients, Methadone has proved to work more effectively to treat the pain experienced by cancer patients. The drug has gone various evaluations for various pains such as back pain, neuropathic pain, complex regional pain syndrome, and chronic headache. From the studies conducted, approximately 59% experienced substantial pain relief with Methadone among patients with chronic cancer pain. As this study was being conducted, initial doses ranged from 2.5 to 80mg per day, and the maximum dosage was 20 to 930mg in a day.
Effects of Methadone on the Brain and the Body
The noticeable and most significant long-term side effect of Methadone is its ability to lessen cravings for other opioids. However, some of the other long-term side effects are not as pleasant. According to the National Institute of drug abuse (NIDA), there are short-term effects of using Methadone as well as long-term effects. Among the short-term effect are euphoria, sedation, drowsiness, pain relief, and relaxation feelings. Effects resulting from an overdose of the drug include decreased heart rate, decreased respiratory rate, twitching, or tremors.
Moreover, an overdose can result in the death of the individual. Since Methadone is a clinical drug, it is easy to get into methadone addiction for individuals who use it without medical supervision. Getting into methadone addictions can result in serious ramifications (Adult Drug Courts and Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Dependence, 2014). These ramifications include neglect of personal hygiene and other habits that can result in severe damaging issues. Abuse of Methadone can leave individuals with a high risk of experiencing body organ thdamages, and long-term health issues (Methadone Overdose, 2014). These issues may include hypertension, cardiovascular damage, brain damage, and liver damage. Additional issues may include dentition deterioration and skin issues.
Statistics show that Methadone is responsible for a third of opioid pain reliever deaths. At the same time, it accounts for only a small percentage of opioid pain reliever prescriptions and the majority of people who overdosed without a prescription (Vital Signs). The CDC report results showed that the death rate from a methadone overdose in our country in 2009 was 5.5 times higher than in 1999 (Vital Signs). R concluded that the contribution of Methadone to overdose mortality was disproportionate compared to the number of prescription pain relievers with Methadone compared to other opioid analgesics. Methadone continues to be a drug with medical and social costs and a significant dependency potential with fatal consequences in escase of overdose. However, the drug is believed to be very common due to its relatively low cost, availability in liquid form, and extended use compared to other opiates.
Statistics show that Methadone is responsible for a third of opioid pain reliever deaths. At the same time, it accounts for only a small percentage of opioid pain reliever prescriptions and the majority of people who overdosed without a prescription (Vital Signs). The CDC report results showed that the death rate from a methadone overdose in our country in 2009 was 5.5 times higher than in 1999 (Vital Signs). Researchers concluded that the contribution of Methadone to overdose mortality was disproportionate compared to the number of prescription pain relievers with Methadone compared to other opioid analgesics. Methadone continues to be a drug with medical and social costs and a significant dependency potential with fatal consequences in overdose. However, the drug is believed to be very common due to its relatively low cost, availability in liquid form, and extended use compared to other opiates.
Besides, according to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, individuals who use Methadone for clinical purposes or who abuse it are prone to developing a dependence on the medicine. Physical dependence consists of the constant need to use more of a drug to meet particular desires and withdrawal. When an individual gets to physical dependence on a substance due to medical treatment, it cannot be generally considered a substance abuse symptom. However, when an individual experiences physical dependence for no medicinal reasons, it is an insinuation that the individual has developed a substance use disorder.
Methadone maintenance treatment
Methadone maintenance therapy, a program that gives opioid addicts Methadone daily, helps drug users stop or reduce injecting to return to a productive life. They were initially established during the 1960s as a fragment of a treatment program that included socialization and vocational training (Ball and Ross, 1991). These plans’ benefits include reduction or interruption of injection drug use, decreased risk of overdose, decrease in the rate of mortality, decreased criminal activity, better family stability and employment potential, and better pregnancy outcomes (Maintenance treatment with Methadone, 2002). Methadone maintenance therapies have proven to be extremely inexpensive and the most effective treatment for opiate addiction. Two significant issues within methadone maintenance treatment programs are the dose and duration of treatment. Studies have shown that higher doses of Methadone are more effective in reducing heroin use, helping patients stay in treatment, and reducing criminal activity (Methadone Maintenance Treatment, 2002). However, some methadone clinics offer fixed doses for all patients, causing some patients to receive less than optimal doses. A Guidance of Principles for Substance Abuse Treatment, published in 1999 by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, concluded that “methadone maintenance requires at least 12 months of treatment and some opiate addicts will continue to benefit from the therapy of methadone maintenance over a period of years.”(Methadone maintenance treatment, 2002). However, most of these patients left a year ago. Most of those who quit methadone maintenance therapy quickly revert to their previous (Long Term Drug Treatment, (n.d.). Although health care has been widely accepted for many years, methadone rehabilitation programs have recently been controversial. Critics believe that methadone treatment replaces one addiction. As a result, the use of Methadone to treat epilepsy dependence is strictly controlled and controlled. The new treatment standards reflect current knowledge of the nature of opium addiction, which is seen as a chronic mental illness, and thus the recovery of Methadone in the hope that patients will one day return to a productive lifestyle. Highlights the quality of care in the programs.
Opium addiction is still a significant problem in our country today, with economic costs increasing, as well as the damage to families and societies, crime, disease transmission, and health care costs (Ball & Ross, 1991). Therefore, I understand how methadone treatment can be beneficial in treating a previous addiction. However, for those considering using this medication, I advise them to make a plan/goal before starting treatment, as methadone therapy itself is another addiction. It can occur if not adequately controlled and monitored.
References
Adult Drug Courts and Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Dependence, (2014). In SAMHSA Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Retrieved April 5, 2015, from http://store.samhsa.gov/shin/content/SMA14-4852/SMA14-4852.pdf
Ball, J. and Alan Ross (1991). The Effectiveness of Methadone Maintenance Treatment: Patients, Programs, Services, and Outcome. New York, NY: Springer-Miller.
Long Term Drug Treatment, (n.d.). In wiseGEEK. Retrieved from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-long-term-effects-of-methadone.htm
Methadone Fast Facts, (n.d.). In National Drug Intelligence Center. Retrieved, from
http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/gpo11051/6096p.pdf
Methadone: Important Warnings, (2014). In Medline Plus. Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a682134.html
Methadone Maintenance Treatment, (2002). In Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved February 21, 2015, from http://www.cdc.gov/idu/facts/MethadoneFin.pdf.
Methadone Overdose, (2014). In Medline Plus. Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002679.htm
Prescription Painkiller Overdoses: Methadone, (2012). In CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. from http://www.cdc.gov/Features/VitalSigns/MethadoneOverdoses/
Vital Signs: Risk for Overdose from Methadone Used for Pain Relief – the United States, 1999-2010, (July 6, 2012). Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 61(26);493-497. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/wk/mm61e0703a1.pdf