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Overview
About Methadone Detox SymptomsMethadone is usually given to help heroin addicts in curbing withdrawal symptoms in giving gradually smaller doses. Its also given as a last-ditch treatment for leukemia patients. Its use is strictly regulated, where patients are only given enough methadone for one or two days. However, methadone is also a highly addictive drug and withdrawal symptoms can be excruciating and inevitable in detoxification.
Features
Methadone withdrawal symptoms include but are not limited to rapid heartbeat, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, paranoia, mood swings, panic, hallucinations, insomnia or sleeping too much, body trembling, sneezing, runny nose, runny eyes, fever, body aches, abdominal cramps, dilated pupils and sweating. Methadone withdrawal symptoms hit everyone differently. Some people will have them more severely than others. The most serious withdrawal symptom is going into a seizure, which needs emergency treatment.
Time Frame
Withdrawal symptoms can start as little as a few hours after the last dose or as late as three days. The length of time they last varies from person to person. The average length of time is two weeks, but for some others the symptoms can last for months, depending on what other medications you are on and what your general health is like.
Function
The body is geared to keep everything normal or in homeostasis. After a while on methadone (or any other chemical), it will consider that a certain amount of methadone per day is all a part of the body's normal chemistry. When it lacks the chemical it thinks it needs to remain in homeostasis, the body sends out urgent pain signals to force the body into getting that chemical.
Warning
It is dangerous to try and stop methadone suddenly ("cold turkey") because of the withdrawal symptoms, especially the risk of seizures. When wanting to reduce or stop methadone, a gradual decrease in dosage must be used under a doctor's supervision. Also, a hospital or rehabilitation setting can help distract a patient from their pain and offer safe painkillers depending on the patient's individual health needs.
Dangers of Self-Medicating
Some methadone addicts try to ease their withdrawal symptoms through the use of other drugs such as opiates, alcohol or marijuana. This is called self-medication. The use of other drugs to ease withdrawal symptoms can often intensify the withdrawal symptoms or make the person addicted to another chemical other than methadone. There is also the danger of overdose when self-medicating.
Solutions
Some methadone addicts have gotten through withdrawal period by drinking a lot of water or rehydrating sports drinks, taking a daily walk, keeping up as normal a routine as possible and taking over the counter cold decongestants to help ease the more flu-like symptoms.
