Methadone Harm Reduction Approach for Quitting Heroin

Methadone Harm Reduction Approach for Quitting Heroin Addiction Drug Use Heroin Print Methadone Harm Reduction Approach for Quitting Heroin By Elizabeth Hartney, BSc., MSc., MA, PhD Elizabeth Hartney, BSc, MSc, MA, PhD is a psychologist, professor, and Director of the Centre for Health Leadership and Research at Royal Roads University, Canada. Learn about our editorial policy Elizabeth Hartney, BSc., MSc., MA, PhD Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on November 09, 2019 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Steven Gans, MD on November 09, 2019 HOANG DINH NAM/Getty Images More in Addiction Drug Use Heroin Cocaine Marijuana Meth Ecstasy/MDMA Hallucinogens Opioids Prescription Medications Alcohol Use Addictive Behaviors Nicotine Use Coping and Recovery Methadone is a synthetic opioid  medication or drug, which is commonly prescribed as a treatment and harm reduction approach for opioid use disorder, in particular, to help people overcome heroin addiction. A powerful painkiller, methadone is also sometimes prescribed to treat severe pain. The main therapeutic effects of methadone are to reduce heroin withdrawal symptoms, prevent heroin and other opiates from producing euphoria and reduce pain perception.?? Methadone can appear as a tablet, powder, or liquid, and is typically administered as a measured oral dose in the form of a green syrup, or in a sweet orange or cherry flavored drink. Why Use Methadone? There are three main reasons that people who are addicted to heroin use methadoneâ€"to quit heroin, to cope with pain, and to reduce the harm caused by injecting heroin. As a treatment, methadone does not actually stop the opioid addiction; instead, it is a substitute for heroin. People who take methadone as prescribed are still addicted to opioids on a physical level, as the methadone blocks the opioid receptors in the brain that are usually blocked by heroin. This stops the craving that people feel for heroin when they have been taking it in large doses for a long time and prevents them from feeling ill from heroin withdrawal. Methadone for Pain Management Methadone can sometimes be prescribed for severe acute or chronic pain, such as the pain sometimes experienced by people suffering from cancer. Although there is a wide variety of other pain relief options, there are sometimes clinical reasons why methadone might be a good choice. Dealing With Underlying Problems As methadone is only working on a physical level to block out pain, unpleasant feelings, and cravings, it is only a partial treatment for heroin addiction. Methadone does not help address the cause of the underlying condition the person may have, and, although it can flatten emotion, it does not address the causes of the negative feelings the person might be experiencing, such as shame, fear, anger, or regret. Therefore, it is important that if you do decide to take methadone, that you also find a way in the longer term to address the emotions that may underlie your addiction. There are several ways to do this. One of the most common methods of addressing your emotional problems is by participating in a treatment program, once you are stabilized on methadone, and your life is reasonably settled and not chaotic. There are many therapeutic approaches which have been developed to treat the psychological symptoms of addiction, including cognitive behavioral therapy, emotion-focused therapy, family therapy, and couples therapy. Treatment can be provided in individual, one on one therapy sessions with a mental health professional, or in groups of people who are all at the same stage of treatment, and many effective treatment programs include both individual and group therapy, in either an outpatient, day program, or a live-in or residential treatment program. Another problem that can underlie heroin addiction is an untreated mental illness. Such common mental health issues may include depression, anxiety, attention deficit disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and schizophrenia. These conditions are all treatable through medication, psychotherapy, or a combination of the two, and can greatly improve the well-being of people who use heroin, and their ability to cope without drugs. Methadone as a Harm Reduction Approach Harm reduction approaches are ways of helping people who use drugs, such as heroin, without requiring them to quit the drug. Instead of focusing on treating the addiction, harm reduction focuses on minimizing the harm caused by the ways that people use drugs. These harms can be physical, psychological, or social. The physical harms that can occur from heroin use, particularly injection heroin use, are numerous. In particular, injecting a drug such as heroinâ€"especially on a daily basisâ€"can damage veins, and can even cause the veins to collapse. Injecting can also lead to the transmission of diseases, such as hepatitis and HIV, through sharing needles and equipment with other drug users. Re-using equipment, and injecting impure drugs can also lead to various kinds of infections and poisonings, which can be life-threatening. Another very real physical harm that can occur from heroin use is an overdose. Once a dose of heroin has been injected, the body has to cope with the effects of the drug on the body, which can potentially include life threatening slowing of the breathing to the point where the person falls unconscious. This is the most common way for heroin users to die from overdoses. Although overdoses can be reversed, using the drug naloxone, this is only possible if the person using heroin is given the drug by another person. In most cases, this will be done by a paramedic, if an ambulance is called on time, although naloxone can be administered by a fellow-user, friend, family member, or another first aider, if they have access to the drug. Unfortunately, if the person is using heroin alone, they are unable to call for help once they are unconscious, meaning the overdose can only be reversed if they are discovered in time. Because methadone is typically administered in oral form at a methadone clinic and is not usually injected, HIV transmission risk is reduced. Thus methadone is considered a form of harm reduction.?? Benefits Methadone has a longer duration than heroin, so it only needs to be taken once a day. This can be very helpful for people who have been taking many doses of heroin per day, making finding and injecting the next dose of heroin the main focus of daily activities. Because methadone levels out the high and the withdrawal of heroin, it is easier for people to get on with other aspects of their lives. Overall, people who are on methadone tend to be more successful in quitting heroin than those who do not have the medication. People who quit heroin without methadone are much more likely to relapse and have a higher risk of overdosing after a period of abstinence or lower daily dose. Methadone also appears to be relatively beneficial to reproductive health, compared to heroin. Research shows an improvement in the normalization of the menstrual cycles of women who have been negatively affected by heroin addiction.?? Men on methadone have fewer semen abnormalities than those on heroin.?? Drawbacks Although methadone maintenance helps thousands of people quit heroin, it is an addictive drug. The dependence on heroin or another opiate is simply transferred to a less problematic drug. Many people taking methadone do not like attending clinics for their daily dose. But when methadone is given to addicts for use at home, the risk of overdosing and/or selling the drug  illegally to purchase heroin increases. This is one example of the ongoing difficulty with trust between addicts and professionals who want to help themâ€"addiction seems to be such a powerful psychological force that people will often act against their own interests in order to get their drug of choice, even if it means selling the methadone that helps them quit. Methadone is not the only medication that can help you to quit heroin. Other options include buprenorphine. A Word From Verywell The decision to take methadone to help you to quit heroin is a personal one and depends on a number of factors, including how long you have been using heroin, how severe your addiction is, whether you have already tried to quit without methadone. It can also depend on whether you used heroin by smoking or by injection. In an ideal world, you would be able to quit heroin without worrying about relapsing and overdosing, and some people, especially those who only use heroin occasionally and in low doses, are able to do this. However, if you have been taking heroin on a regular basis, you may find it quite difficult to quit. Talk to your doctor about how to get help with the right prescription for you. And remember: Although methadone may help control the physical side of your addiction, in order to complete your recovery you will still probably need support to help with the psychological side of your addiction.