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Posted by: Sparrow on 2010-08-11, 10:29:33
First off, you’d be contributing to the current problem that people who DO need methadone are dealing with: ignorance and stigma. You don’t need methadone, why take it? Now- what would happen? 1)Methadone is an opioid agonist- a synthetic opiate (an opiate being any of the narcotic medications used to treat pain derived from the poppy plant). It was first synthesized when a pharmacologist (no, not Hitler, as some anti-methadone propaganda suggest) was tryig to find a medication that was less addictive than morphine. Soldiers in the world wars were returning with morphine addictions at alarming rates; primarily because field medicine in the era was limited to pain killers, and many soldiers who became injured also beame addicted. Methadone, as it turns out, is actually just as addictive as morphine- and heroin. In fact, the physical addiction is more severe. Opiates, unlike other drugs like crack, coke, amphetamines, pot, LSD, etc- have a propencity for PHYSICAL addiction: your body produces natural painkillers, referred to as endorphins , in small amounts to help your body function during pain. They are also released during orgasm, moments of happiness, and exercise (“runners high”) among others. Opiates- or Opioids- attach themselves to the same receptors in your brain that endorphins do- the caveat being, the levels of them are dramatically increased than what your own body would naturally produce. The human body, in an attempt to conserve energy, will realize that a person who is using opiates on a regular, daily basis, are providing their body with more than enough synthetic endorphins to run properly, and the body will stop it’s own production of them. When the user stops using opiates, the body is entirely devoid of these feel good hormones, which are normally released in constant, though slow, fluctuations by the body. This is what’s known as acute, physical withdrawal. Unlike most opiates, methadone is a time released medication- this makes the acute withdrawal phase muh longer, and more severe than that of someone withdrawing from other opiates. Though worse, the symptoms are similar- nausea, vomiting, cramping in the stomach, legs and muscles; respiratory fluctuations, irregular heartbeat, a raise in blood pressure, etc. The user must go through this period- which last about 7 days with most opiates, but 2-4 weeks for methadone users- before the body is producing it’s own endorphins again. 2)Methadone has 2 uses: pain management for CHRONIC, SEVERE pain- those going through chemo, terminal disease, surgery- and for opiate addiction. The Harrison drug act made it illegal for general practitioner doctors to prescribe methadone for opiate addiction- only state run clinics can do so, and must follow rigorous regulations. A doctor may prescribe it for pain without these limitations. 3)Methadone for opiate addiction- MMT- is a long term, highly successful way to treat opiate addicts. It is one of many methods, but the only one with a success rate for sobriety over the rate of 22%- and also considered the safest. It does cause constipation and sweating; and it is dangerous to withdrawal while pregnant, because withdrawal from any opiate can cause miscarriage. It is NOT illegal to drive on IF you are on MMT- the dose of methadone used in treating opiate addiction is at a therapeutic level that does NOT impair cognitive function or motor skill- this is ensured through serum level testing on the MMT patient’s blood called a peak and trough. When used for MMT, it simply keeps the patient from going into withdrawal- it does not give them a buzz. 4)Pain management use is different- there is an impairment factor, and it is illegal to drive on if you’re taking it for pain management, for the sedation effect it has at those high doses. 5)Methadone is an effective treatment for both for the reason that it is time released. This factor makes it easier to take- one dose holds a patient over for 24 hours, and the time release factor makes it less likely to cause overdose- overdose from methadone is EXTREMELY RARE when taken as prescribed. You may have noticed lately there’s been a lot of stigma about methadone- and some celebrity deaths. These however, were not the result of proper methadone use. They were the result of people taking methadone that was NOT prescribed to them, or improperly prescribed; and the ultimate cause of death was the mixing of the methadone with other meds- booze, pills, etc. Ignorance about how it works is most often the reason it’s abused- because methadone is time released, it doesn’t produce a buzz or high- a person seeking one, who doesn’t understand the pharmacology of it- will often take more, or take other drugs in conjunction with it, when they realize they’re not getting high. The cumulative effect of that is what causes death. Methadone, like any drug, IS dangerous- if you don’t use it as prescribed- the key phrase being WHEN TAKEN AS PRESCRIBED. Unfortunately, the abuse of this medication has made real problems for those who were finally able to get sober with it. Hysteria, ignorance, and propaganda by uneducated people who read about tabloid deaths- but not the real causes- provoke and spread ignorance further- creating fear, and sadly, a new generation of kids who are looking for drugs that think methadone is a good one. And the cycle continues. MMT clients are given methadone In a supervised setting- only after years of clean drug tests, total compliance, and perfect attendance can they apply for take home doses- and those are given in very small increments. Take homes must be taken home in a locked box, stored that way, and the client must be willing to bring in any unused doses within 24 hours if called, to show they’re using them properly and not selling them. If a client skips their dose, or sells it, they will become extremely ill- and once taking methadone, heroin and other opiates rarely are strong enough to stop withdrawal, or even produce a high- so MMT patients are generally not the culprits of street bought methadone. Methadone bought on the street is usually sold by a person who either paid a physician or lied to a physician and obtained the methadone dishonestly. Severe pain is the only real use for it, and unfortunately, there are no regulations for general practitioners- so it’s easier to obtain from them. If you buy it off the street, you have no way of knowing what dose it is or if it’s even what they say- it’s usually given in oral/ liquid suspension, to allow for changes in dose; and you’ve got no idea if someone added water to it, alcohol or something else. Methadone has a terrible taste that can only be compared to turpentine- this deters people from taking it who shouldn’t- but that also makes it easy for someone to mask dangerous chemicals in it when selling it illegally. If you don’t have a prescription, overdose is possible, depending on the dose. It’s a strong medication and you have no business taking it if it’s not yours- you will not only be hurting yourself, but a lot of people who have struggled to get clean, who could lose it because of you. If you have a drug problem, there are county boards for drug and alcohol abuse that can put you in touch with programs available- MMT or other. |
