What is Methadone Maintenance?

opiate addiction treatment

Methadone is a medication therapy that helps opiate-addicted individuals avoid relapse.

Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) is a treatment program offered to individuals who suffer from an opiate addiction. Methadone is a drug that works like an opiate drug does in a user’s body.

When a person decides to stop using opiates their body will begin to go through withdrawals, resulting in numerous symptoms that can be highly painful and unpleasant for a person to go through. With MMT, a person will not have as severe of withdrawals from opiates, therefore allowing the person to detox with minimal pain.

Through MMT a person will be administered particular doses of methadone each day. Over time they will continually receive smaller dosages to the point where they will no longer take methadone.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the majority of patients in MMT need a dose of 60-120 mg of methadone per day to receive the therapeutic effects of the drug. People that receive higher doses of methadone are shown to stay in treatment longer and have a less likely chance of using opiates. However, some patients need even higher doses to experience the full effect of MMT.

How Methadone Maintenance Helps

Methadone Maintenance Treatment helps people because it relives the intensity of withdrawal symptoms allowing a patient in treatment to focus on regaining control of their thought processes and learning to live a life free of drugs once again.

Although methadone is the key ingredient in MMT, a patient will also be provided with support, education, and therapy through Methadone Maintenance Treatment. With the lessening of the physical withdrawal symptoms from MMT a person’s experience in overcoming their opiate addiction will be as stress free as possible providing them with all of the resources they need to conquer their addiction.

Methadone Maintenance Treatment not only helps the struggling individual overcome their opiate addiction, but it is also beneficial to the economy as a whole.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, methadone maintenance treatment has numerous benefits. Some of the benefits of methadone maintenance include,  stopping the use of injection drugs, reducing the risk of overdose, reducing the risk of HIV, reducing the mortality rate, reducing criminal activity, as well as, increasing family stability and employment.

Opiate addiction is a powerful and chronic disease that will continue in a person’s life until they receive the help they need. Through MMT a person can have a peace of mind knowing that they will experience minimal physical withdrawals and that they will have a safe and healthy detox from opiates. MMT is one of the most effective and life changing treatments offered to help people stop using opiates and to regain control of their life again.


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