How Long Does Methadone Detox Take?

Methadone is a synthetically-made opiate, placing it in the same drug class as heroin, morphine and Vicodin. Methadone is sometimes used to ease patients off other highly dangerous and addictive drugs such as heroin, in a controlled, safe fashion; however, methadone itself can also become both physically and mentally addictive. A heavily diluted methadone can be used in some antitussives, or cough syrups. Methadone may also be used to manage severe chronic pain.

Methadone detox can be very uncomfortable and, in severe cases, fatal. Moodiness, panic attacks, irritability, fatigue, insomnia, muscle and bone aches, nausea, vomiting, constipation and diarrhea can all be side effects of methadone detox. Fear of these side effects can discourage some methadone addicts from seeking help; however, other non-addictive drugs can help ease these side effects. These drugs can also help patients cease their methadone use gradually, causing less of a shock to their bodies. Methadone detox can take weeks. Ingesting methadone, even under the care of a doctor, is not without side effects. The duration of methadone's side effects can range from 3 to 12 hours. Side effects can include pruritus (an intense itchy sensation), nausea, constipation, confusion, sedation, and respiratory depression. Excess sweating and flushing are common when methadone is taken orally. Methadone can successfully suppress cravings for opiates and the symptoms of opiate withdrawal for 24 to 36 hours. When used in treatment, methadone has the additional effect of blocking the euphoria induced by other opiates, like heroin. Therefore, a patient using methadone wouldn't be able to get a "high" from heroin, thus aiding in the treatment of addiction.

Methadone is a relatively inexpensive method of treating heroin addiction, with total costs running about $5,000 per patient. This is also less expensive than using morphine for the same purpose. Methadone use might not be advisable for those patients with sleep apnea, family or personal history of mental illness, epilepsy or other brain disorders, low blood pressure or an underactive thyroid. Pregnant women should not ingest methadone. Of course, people with or without these conditions would be ill-advised to ingest heroin, as well. Methadone should not be combined with alcohol or any other drugs.

Methadone can be ingested orally or intravenously. It is available under the brand names Methadose and Dolophine.

Methadone was developed in Nazi Germany during the 1930s. German forces feared a shortage of opium, then used to treat wounded soldiers as well as civilians. In 1947 Eli Lilly and Company began producing the drug in the United States. Spurred by the increase in American heroin addicts after the World Wars, methadone maintenance programs began appearing in the U.S. during the 1960s. In 1999, about 20 percent of the United States' 810,000 heroin addicts were being treated for heroin addiction with methadone.

Some believe that physician-directed methadone detox programs have helped reduce the spread of AIDS, since physicians use clean needles for each patient, whereas heroin addicts may not. Methadone might also allow those with pathological addictions to begin therapy to deal with the roots of their issues without being preoccupied with the day-to-day challenge of either obtaining heroin or functioning without it. Because methadone eases the physical symptoms of heroin withdrawal without providing a high, these patients may begin steady work or return to school and begin adjusting to the rhythms of mainstream society.