Outpatient treatment is methadone withdrawal also generally recommended for those who have completed an inpatient program but are still new to sobriety. Quitting “cold turkey” will cause more severe withdrawal symptoms. Doctors usually recommend tapering off use of methadone to make the withdrawal process more bearable.

When to Contact a Medical Professional

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Like all opioids, methadone’s origins can be traced back to opium, a product of the poppy plant. Methadone is a Twelve-step program common choice for medication-assisted treatment. Even though it can be habit-forming, when used correctly, it can help you overcome more intense drug dependencies. Many people find support at local 12-step meetings, such as Narcotics Anonymous. Most methadone clinics offer some sort of counseling, so that’s a good place to start. Opioids affect the way your brain works, flooding it with neurotransmitters.

Management of mild opioid withdrawal

• Plus, if you’re not ready to talk, you can sign up to receive insights via text.
• But withdrawal symptoms for a slow-acting opioid like methadone can last for a week or longer.
• The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) publishes that nearly 2.5 million Americans reported abusing methadone at least once in their lifetime as of a 2012 national survey.
• This can range from lowering the dosage 10 percent to 50 percent daily or over a period of two weeks at a time.
• When you take opioid medication for a long time, your body becomes desensitized to the effects.

It’s possible for some people to become addicted to methadone as they use it to wean themselves off of another prescription painkiller. Introducing a substance like methadone throws off that balance. It does this by initiating counter-regulatory processes to find a new balance that incorporates the drug.

If methadone is not taken again, withdrawal symptoms can occur. Withdrawal can cause emotional distress and physical discomfort, which is compared to a really bad case of the flu. The intense withdrawal symptoms and drug cravings that can accompany methadone withdrawal can make it difficult to stop taking the drug suddenly. Instead, it is recommended to taper off it slowly to lessen the impact of the potential side effects and to minimize relapse.

How to Avoid Methadone Withdrawal

Many users especially struggle with methadone withdrawal because the medication stays in the body longer. Methadone withdrawal symptoms are usually moderate and flu-like. One of the biggest risks during withdrawal is the possibility of relapse and potentially life-threatening overdose. When a person takes methadone regularly, their brain and body get used to certain amounts of the drug. When use is stopped, even for a short time, tolerance can drop. If a person then starts taking methadone again in the amounts they used to before, the body will no longer be able to metabolize it as quickly, and a toxic overdose can result.

The stages of methadone withdrawal depend on the dosage and how much of the medication a person takes. Methadone is an opioid that doctors may prescribe to people experiencing pain for whom other opioids do not work or to those with a high risk of developing addiction. Methadone withdrawal is difficult, so it’s best not to attempt to do it on your own. Let your doctor know any troubles you are having so that they can help treat your withdrawal symptoms if they arise.

Symptomatic treatment can be used in cases where residual withdrawal symptoms persist (Table 3). This dose of diazepam (up to a maximum of 40mg) is then given to the patient daily in three divided doses. Even if the patient’s equivalent diazepam dose exceeds 40mg, do not give greater than 40mg diazepam daily during this stabilisation phase. Procedure for administering clonidine for moderate/severe opioid withdrawal. Patients should drink at least 2-3 litres of water per day during withdrawal to replace fluids lost through perspiration and diarrhoea. Do not try to engage the patient in counselling or other psychological therapy at this stage.

What is methadone withdrawal?

However, it can take anywhere between 15 and 60 hours for methadone to be out of a user’s system. For some people, it may take several days for withdrawal to begin. The significance, duration, and timeline can be influenced by biological, environmental, and genetic factors. Environmental aspects, including stability of home life and stress levels, can influence the healing process. The more stressed a person is, the more intense withdrawal is liable to be and the greater the odds for relapse.