[SLIMSHADY]

I know its for people coming off of Heroin, is it a dangerous drug?

[Geriwong]

Methadone is chemically related to heroin, it is of similar potency as morphine and is also addictive. But it produces less severe withdrawal symptoms, so it is used to treat heroin dependence. The dose of methadone will be reduced gradually until a drug free state has been achieved.

Side effects of insomnia, sweating, dry mouth, constipation, disrupted menstruation and reduced libido is common with the use of methadone, but most of the time the drug is well tolerated.

Hope this can help.

[Stallion]

quote:Originally posted by Geriwong

Methadone is chemically related to heroin, it is of similar potency as morphine and is also addictive. But it produces less severe withdrawal symptoms, so it is used to treat heroin dependence.

I don't know where you got your info, but this is flat out not true. Methadone IS a lnog acting opiate w/ potancy similar to morphine, but methadone has a much longer half life in your body than heroin or morphine, resulting in much more excrutiating and longer lasting w/drawls than either drug. WD's from severe methadone addiction are known to last for over a month, sometimes longer, compared to a week or two for shorter half life opiates like morphine. The only reason methadone is a prefered method of treating heroin addicts is that one dose at a clinic is usually enough to stave of WD's for about a day, rather than requiring multiple spikes of morphine or demoral to acieve the same level of relief from symptoms.

Information = Freedom

[Geriwong]

Sorry about that, I should have checked the information more carefully.
A professor of mine previously told us that "methadone produces less severe withdrawal symptoms", so I thought it was the reason why it was used to treat heroin dependence. However, I have no intention to shift the responsibility to my professor as it was my fault to receive information from the others without checking it. Again, sorry about that. [8)]

[Geriwong]

from http://methadone.drugs.com/

What is methadone?
• Methadone is a narcotic pain reliever, similar to morphine. Methadone also reduces withdrawal symptoms in people addicted to heroin or other narcotic drugs without causing the '"high" associated with the drug addiction. • Methadone is used as a pain reliever and as part of drug addiction detoxification and maintenance programs.
• Methadone may also be used for purposes other than those listed here.

I am so confused...

[Stallion]

No contradiction, just some confusing wording. Methadone does ease WD symptoms of heroin addicts, presicely because it is an opiate and will bind to opiate receptors for a long time, stopping craving and painful withdrawl sickness, and most addicts do report that methadone provides less euphoria (or high) than heroin or morphine (others say that it is quite euphoric, so this may just be a matter of preference). The problem is that since methadone is an opiate, it has it's own withdrawl symptoms and shouldn't be stopped abruptly anymore than heroin. Most methadone clinics work to (very) slowly taper a person down to no methadone a day, but even these controlled tapers can leave a person WD sick for a few weeks.

Information = Freedom

[Geriwong]

thank you very much.