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Step 1
Speak to a doctor or a licensed methadone clinician about detoxifying using the drug. Individual clinics will have their own rules and regulations to which you must adhere. Some require you to live on-site, while others allow you to detox at home by providing specified doses of methadone to use. Private clinics are often more expensive than public ones, but the wait to receive service isn't as long and you tend to receive more personal care.
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Step 2
Take your methadone in the prescribed doses and do not deviate from them, even if you feel you need to. When detoxifying, most patients will receive from 80 to 100 mg a day (usually as either a pill, an injection, a liquid to be swallowed or a tablet under the tongue), but some clinics may want to start at a lower dose--say 20 to 30 mg--and then slowly increase the daily dosage to monitor the drug's effects on you. In serious cases, you may receive doses above 100 mg, but you should consider it only if your doctor believes it necessary.
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Step 3
Be ready to deal with side effects. Methadone works by restricting the reception of glutamate--a neurotransmitter in your nervous system that contributes to the learning and memory process. That helps break your brain's psychological craving for the drug, as well as reducing the euphoric high you receive from taking it. At the same time, however, methadone creates side effects of its own, including weight fluctuation, constipation, headaches, vomiting, swelling of the hands and feet and even irregular heartbeats in some cases. Always carefully monitor any side effects you experience, and bring them to your doctor's attention immediately.
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Step 4
Engage in other treatments as well as the methadone. It often works best when you combine the chemical detox with psychological counseling, self-help therapy such as meditation and even job training in preparation for returning to a normal life. Think about the methadone as a means of allowing you to engage in these other healing processes, rather than an instant "cure-all" for your addiction.
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Step 5
Be prepared to taper off and eliminate the methadone when the time comes. The exact point varies from patient to patient. It should come whenever your doctor feels that it is time. However, it's helpful to be aware of the fact that you must eventually come off of the methadone and be ready for the side effects of withdrawal when they arise. They can be quite potent (though not as bad as withdrawal from other medications) and you will need to endure them the same way you endured your initial detox.
