Methadone Withdrawal

Methadone withdrawal starts shortly after drug use stops.

“A sudden discontinued supply of opiates will often cause unbearable withdrawal symptoms including irritability, profuse sweating, abdominal cramping and diarrhea,” states detoxification anesthesiologist, Dr. Clifford A. Bernstein, M.D. “This agonizing withdrawal is the reason most of those with dependencies cannot stop taking the drugs.”

Methadone is a narcotic pain-reliever, chemically unlike heroin or morphine, but with similar effect on the brain’s opiate receptors as other opiate drugs.

Dependence resembles that of other analgesic (painkiller) medication. Methadone has a tolerance liability that makes it habit-forming. Methadone, therefore, creates physical and psychological dependence.

Methadone has cross-tolerance with drugs like heroin and morphine, which helps it to block the euphoric effect produced by intravenous injection of narcotic drugs. When prescribed as an oral substitute in detoxification and maintenance programs, Methadone decreases the withdrawal symptoms associated with addiction to Heroin or to other narcotics.

Methadone withdrawal will onset after the discontinuation of drug use. Methadone withdrawal discomfort can be painful, and critical if not tapered gradually. Methadone withdrawal symptoms resemble those of other narcotic analgesic medications:

Methadone withdrawal can be much more severe than that from some other opiates, and it can span anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months.

Methadone treatment is considered “all but ideal for maintenance” and is not an ideal opiate for withdrawal when attempting to become completely opiate-free.

Both opiates and Methadone withdrawal can be passed during pregnancy to the fetus and provoke addiction and Methadone withdrawal symptoms in a newborn. Methadone can also be transferred through breastfeeding a nursing infant.

Methadone withdrawal can cause permanent damage to the circulatory, gastrointestinal, respiratory, and central nervous systems. Many patients dependent on Methadone come to us to avoid the risk of a medically unsupervised withdrawal.

Immediate care should be sought when stopping Methadone use, and the discontinuation should not be done suddenly. Your doctor will advise the graduation of smaller doses to discontinue Methadone, and to mitigate Methadone withdrawal.

The Waismann Method of Rapid Detoxification incites medically supervised withdrawal while under anesthesia. Rapid detoxification during Methadone withdrawal provides safe, responsible, and current medical techniques in anesthesiology to decrease risks. Most conventional detox programs use older, less safe protocol, which also exposes patients to unnecessary pain during Methadone withdrawal.

We treat dependency and associated Methadone withdrawal as avoidable and reversible. The Waismann Method of Rapid Detoxification has established the standards of an effective, dignified, safe and humane rapid detoxification procedure.