Methadone is a synthetic (manmade) opioid that is often prescribed as an opioid replacement medication for people addicted to opioids like heroin, prescription painkillers, and fentanyl. Methadone is also prescribed for other medical conditions requiring moderate to severe pain relief.
Still, people who suffer from opioid drug addiction, such as heroin or prescription painkillers, are often treated with methadone. While methadone can be effective in treating opiate addiction when taken as prescribed, it is also an opioid drug that people abuse and become addicted to.
Methadone is an artificial opioid, similar to morphine or heroin. Methadone will cause feelings of relaxation and reduce pain, but it will not give you the same high or euphoric feeling as heroin. It works in treating heroin addiction by reducing withdrawal symptoms and cravings. (NIH, 2022)
Is Methadone a Street Drug?
Most often, methadone is prescribed by a doctor and then sold to people illegally from the person with the prescription. However, methadone is manufactured unlawfully, like other prescription opioids such as fentanyl, oxycontin, and others, and sold on the streets. The reason some addicts seek methadone is most often due to their heroin addiction.
In the case of addiction, methadone acts on the same opioid receptors as heroin, but the effects last longer. Many methadone addicts take methadone to prevent the onset of their heroin withdrawal symptoms and get addicted to both.
As a Schedule II drug, methadone has legitimate medical uses. Still, it is strongly associated with addiction either as a doctor-prescribed medication-assisted treatment (MAT) or is abused and taken illegally.
Can Someone Detox Off Methadone at Home?
A person can try to go cold turkey, kick methadone at home, and succeed. However, it will be tough as methadone is known to cause even more severe opioid withdrawals than heroin or potent prescription painkillers such as oxycontin.
Methadone has twice the half-life s other opioids, which means it saturates the person’s body more intensely with opioids making the physical addiction much more acute. There are ways to detox off methadone at home, and it begins with homeopathic remedies and medications.
What Natural Remedies Help Methadone Detox?
It is essential to expect at-home detox to be challenging, and someone should be prepared with regular medical access if the withdrawals become serious. Medications that a doctor will prescribe to minimize methadone withdrawals include buprenorphine, Librium, Klonopin, and sleep medications.
The natural remedies include supplements and detox teas that will help relax the body and assist someone in withdrawals, including:
- L-tryptophan
- Melatonin
- Valerian
- Lavender
- chamomile
- Kava
What is Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT)
Medication-assisted treatment for methadone addiction and other opioid addictions will reduce opioid withdrawal symptoms. People who have become addicted to methadone often use other opioids, so they are in a difficult position where they will require medications to help them detox safely and successfully.
Medication-Assisted Treatment Programs will also reduce cravings and emotional fixation on using opioids. Finally, a MAT program is a comprehensive treatment where the individual will receive counseling and therapy to help them quit methadone and address their disorder of getting addicted to substances.
Find Medication-Assisted Treatment for Methadone Addiction
To be treated in an outpatient opioid addiction program, someone must be seen by our medical doctor and be admitted to our outpatient program. Then they can begin their intensive outpatient program and remain at home while prescribed other opioids to help them detox and recover. Call us now to learn how to start detox at home from methadone today.
Medically Reviewed: November 9, 2022
All of the information on this page has been reviewed and verified by a certified addiction professional.