Methadone

Methadone is a synthetic opioid.^[1] It is used as an analgesic and in opioid withdrawal therapy. It has the benefit over other drugs that can help with coming off of opioids in that the user can go straight to methadone at a low dose and have it raised to a level where it works for them.

Besides relieving pain, it is also used to treat addiction to opioid narcotics, and some illegal drugs^[2] like heroin or codeine mostly. Methadone can lead to adverse effects like memory loss, shortness of breath, throat pains, stomach aches, and anxiety attacks. The benefit of using methadone for pain however is how well most people tolerate it and its low potential for abuse or addiction over other opioids.

The main drawbacks of using methadone are the social stigma attached, the location of methadone clinics and the opportunities to sell the methadone to other addicts in order to pay for the drug they are addicted to. However, unlike for example with subutex, the person taking methadone does not have to stop taking opioids for a few days before they are able to get treatment, though with those drugs they may still have to come clean off methadone (which may be a lot easier for them).

In using methadone to come off of opioids, the dose starts low and is titrated up to a dose that works over the course of some weeks to a month (sometimes up to 3 months). From there, the user might stay on methadone for 5 to 10 years until they finally start to lower the dose and stop taking opioids altogether, though some people stay on it for life.