How do methadone make you feel

After graduation, he decided to pursue his passion of writing and editing. All of the information on this page has been reviewed and verified by a certified addiction professional. Theresa is also a Certified Professional Life Coach and volunteers at a local mental health facility helping individuals who struggle with homelessness and addiction. Theresa is a well-rounded clinician with experience working as a Primary Addiction Counselor, Case Manager and Director of Utilization Review in various treatment centers for addiction and mental health in Florida, Minnesota, and Colorado.

She also has experience with admissions, marketing, and outreach. As a proud recovering addict herself, Theresa understands first-hand the struggles of addiction. There is no limit to what Theresa is willing to do to make a difference in the field of Addiction! Milford, DE. View Center. Atlantic City, NJ. Galloway, NJ. Philadelphia, PA. Annandale, VA. New Brunswick, NJ.

Virginia Beach, VA. New York City, NY. Henryville, PA. Laurel, PA. Shickshinny, PA. Allenwood, PA. Williamsburg, PA. Waymart, PA. Methadone is a prescription opioid drug.

How is it used? How effective is it? Advantages of methadone maintenance over heroin use Using methadone on its own is unlikely to result in an overdose. Methadone maintenance keeps the person stable while they make positive changes in their life. Health problems are reduced or avoided, especially those related to injecting, such as HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses, skin infections and vein problems.

Methadone is much cheaper than heroin. Methadone affects everyone differently, based on: size, weight and health whether the person is used to taking it whether other drugs are taken around the same time the amount taken The effects of methadone last much longer than the effects of heroin. Read more about withdrawal. Path2Help Not sure what you are looking for? Find out more. It is illegal to: use methadone without a prescription from a doctor sell or give a methadone prescription to someone else forge or alter a methadone prescription make false claims to obtain methadone or a methadone prescription from a health professional inject methadone.

In , 53, clients received opioid pharmacotherapy treatment from authorised prescribers. Upfal J. Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had slowed breathing or asthma.

Your doctor will probably tell you not to take methadone. Also tell your doctor if you have or have ever had lung disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD; a group of lung diseases that includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema , a head injury, a brain tumor, or any condition that increases the amount of pressure in your brain.

The risk that you will develop breathing problems may be higher if you are an older adult or are weak or malnourished due to disease. If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately or get emergency medical treatment: slowed breathing, long pauses between breaths, or shortness of breath. Taking certain other medications during your treatment with methadone may increase the risk that you will experience serious, life-threatening side effects such as breathing problems, sedation, or coma.

Tell your doctor if you are taking or plan to take any of the following medications: antipsychotics such as aripiprazole Abilify , asenapine Saphris , cariprazine Vraylar , chlorpromazine, clozapine Versacloz , fluphenazine, haloperidol Haldol , iloperidone Fanapt , loxapine, lurasidone Latuda , molindone, olanzapine Zyprexa , paliperidone Invega , perphenazine, pimavanserin Nuplazid , quetiapine Seroquel , risperidone Risperdal , thioridazine, thiothixene, trifluoperazine, and ziprasidone Geodon ; benzodiazepines such as alprazolam Xanax , chlordiazepoxide Librium , clonazepam Klonopin , clorazepate Gen-Xene, Tranxene , diazepam Diastat, Valium , estazolam, flurazepam, lorazepam Ativan , oxazepam, temazepam Restoril , and triazolam Halcion ; opiate narcotic medications for pain and cough; medications for nausea or mental illness; muscle relaxants; sedatives; sleeping pills; or tranquilizers.

Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications and will monitor you carefully. If you take methadone with any of these medications and you develop any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately or seek emergency medical care: unusual dizziness, lightheadedness, extreme sleepiness, slowed or difficult breathing, or unresponsiveness.

Be sure that your caregiver or family members know which symptoms may be serious so they can call the doctor or emergency medical care if you are unable to seek treatment on your own. Drinking alcohol, taking prescription or nonprescription medications that contain alcohol, or using street drugs during your treatment with methadone increases the risk that you will experience serious, life-threatening side effects.

Do not drink alcohol, take prescription or nonprescription medications that contain alcohol, or use street drugs during your treatment. Do not allow anyone else to take your medication. Methadone may harm or cause death to other people who take your medication, especially children. Store methadone in a safe place so that no one else can take it accidentally or on purpose.

Be especially careful to keep methadone out of the reach of children. Keep track of how many tablets or how much liquid is left so you will know if any medication is missing. Dispose of any unwanted methadone tablets or oral solution properly according to instructions. Methadone may cause a prolonged QT interval a rare heart problem that may cause irregular heartbeat, fainting, or sudden death. Tell your doctor if you or anyone in your family has or has ever had long QT syndrome; or if you have or ever had a slow or irregular heartbeat; low blood levels of potassium or magnesium, or heart disease.

Tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are taking or plan to take any of the following medications: antidepressants such as amitriptyline, amoxapine, clomipramine Anafranil , desipramine Norpramin , doxepin Silenor , imipramine Tofranil , nortriptyline Pamelor , protriptyline Vivactil , and trimipramine Surmontil ; certain antifungals such as fluconazole Diflucan , itraconazole Onmel, Sporanox , ketoconazole, and voriconazole Vfend ; diuretics 'water pills' ; erythromycin Eryc, Erythrocin, others ; fludrocortisone; certain laxatives; medications for irregular heartbeat such as amiodarone Nexterone, Pacerone , disopyramide Norpace , dofetilide Tikosyn , flecainide, ibutilide Corvert , procainamide, and quinidine in Nuedexta ; nicardipine Cardene ; and risperidone Risperdal ; and sertraline Zoloft.

If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately: pounding heartbeat, dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. If you take methadone regularly during your pregnancy, your baby may experience life-threatening withdrawal symptoms after birth. Tell your baby's doctor right away if your baby experiences any of the following symptoms: irritability, hyperactivity, abnormal sleep, high-pitched cry, uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body, vomiting, diarrhea, or failure to gain weight.

Your doctor or pharmacist will give you the manufacturer's patient information sheet Medication Guide when you begin treatment with methadone and each time you fill your prescription if a Medication Guide is available for the methadone product you are taking.

Read the information carefully and ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions. If you have been addicted to an opiate narcotic drug such as heroin , and you are taking methadone to help you stop taking or continue not taking the drug, you must enroll in a treatment program. The treatment program must be approved by the state and federal governments and must treat patients according to specific federal laws.

You may have to take your medication at the treatment program facility under the supervision of the program staff. Ask your doctor or the treatment program staff if you have any questions about enrolling in the program or taking or getting your medication.

Methadone is used to relieve severe pain in people who are expected to need pain medication around the clock for a long time and who cannot be treated with other medications. It also is used to prevent withdrawal symptoms in patients who were addicted to opiate drugs and are enrolled in treatment programs in order to stop taking or continue not taking the drugs.

A patient who is addicted to heroin will often be prescribed methadone to take instead of heroin and the dose of methadone is gradually reduced over time. This means that the patient can give up heroin avoiding acute withdrawal symptoms.

In treatment of addiction, methadone dose is usually aimed initially at preventing the withdrawal symptoms that would otherwise develop when street heroin is stopped.

The methadone dose can subsequently be reduced by agreement with the patient until the user is off the drug completely. This allows people time to tackle their psychological addiction and to stabilise their lifestyle.

There may still be some problems with opiate withdrawal symptoms, depending on how fast methadone is withdrawn but this substitution treatment is much less severe than going 'cold turkey'. How long a drug can be detected for depends on how much is taken and which testing kit is used. This is only a general guide.

Taking methadone illegally does involve risks. You can't be as sure with methadone that's bought on the street how pure it is. Overdoses that can lead to coma and even death from respiratory failure i.