Question:
know methadone was made for pain and later found to be useful for heroine
addicts. But if methadone is worse to get off of than heroine and the side
effects could be worse too isn't it just a trade off for the addicted
person? It isn't a cure for heroine addiction right? Is the rationale that
methadone doesn't get you high but satisfies the craving for heroine? or is
it becuase methadone can be legally prescribed and heroine can't? I don't
plan on taking heroine but I am just curious. I remember when mom came home
and said she had been switched to methadone from the duragesic we all
thought damn she had become an addict. But the pain doc said no and
explained the whole thing about methadone really being for pain and using it
to treat heroine addicts is off label.
Answer:
Actually the use of methadone in the treatment of Heroin addiction is
nothing other then a substitute of one addiction for another. The
idea was that while a Heroin Junkie is normally able to function as a
member of society, the same is not true for a methadone addict. Many
methadone addicts are able to function as full members of society, be
productive and hold down jobs.
So all in all methadone in the treatment of Heroin addiction is simply
the switching of one addiction for another. That is why it is often
referred to as a methadone maintenance program. There really isn't
any intention to bring the addict person completely off drugs, just
simply switch them to an addiction that allows them to function as a
member of society.
