Methadone is widely known as a drug used during rehab to treat addiction to other drugs. Drug abuse in the USA has hit unprecedented levels. So, is methadone the solution, or a problem in its own right? Researchers discovered that people with opioid addictions could function well in their daily work and home lives by taking methadone to treat the opioid addiction. On the other hand, the question of a methadone high could encourage its illegal use. We willtake a look at the facts in this article.
Negative Aspects of Methadone
Methadone stops the cravings associated with drug abuse and inhibits the euphoria the drug produces, making it easier to give up using heroin, for example. Certain characteristics of methadone could encourage a high. For one thing, methadone ingredientstake a long time to leave the body. It has an extended half-life. It can also interact with other drugs in negative ways.
How Methadone Works
Methadone is typically administered as a single daily dose in the form of a wafer, liquid, or pill. It relieves pain for four to eight hours and is often prescribed purely as a pain killer. Additionally, methadone blocks the user from feeling the high of other drugs that they have ingested, such as oxycodone, morphine, and heroin.
The half-life of methadone is between 24 and 36 hours. Remnants of the drug may still be present in the body after five days. The body stores methadone in the tissues and liver and eliminates it according to an individual’s metabolism. A person who metabolizes the substance quickly is more likely to be tolerant towards the drug. In other words, they need more of the drug sooner to keep getting the same relief from pain and other symptoms, such as an opioid high. If used correctly and under supervision, methadone is an effective treatment against drug abuse.
How Methadone Gets You High
Withdrawal from a drug produces many negative symptoms, including intense pain. Severe cravings for the absent drug also occur. Methadone not only blocks out the pain of withdrawal and provides sedation, but it also prevents a user from getting high if they do take it. This reduces the rewards of the drug and makes it easier to quit.
Methadone stays in the liver and levels can be high even when the blood levels are not. It has a limited euphoric effect. It is not safe to operate machinery or drive when on methadone, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Attention wavers, reaction time is slowed, and the individual may be drowsy. Other symptoms of taking methadone are flaccid muscles, low blood pressure, a drop in the body temperature, dry mouth, drooping eyelids, and an inadequate response to light stimuli.
A person being treated in a rehab clinic will not get high on methadone as the doses are carefully regulated. In-patients are monitored with drug tests and many employers and schools will also perform drug testing in St. Louis. So, getting high on methadone requires the person to take the drug more frequently and in abnormally higher quantities than the prescribed dose.
When methadone administration is controlled, such as in a rehab clinic, it is an effective tool in overcoming addiction.