Methadone Clinics: Methadone Symptoms & Side Effects

Question: How is a methadone clinic legal? 2% or less success rate!?

(Posted by: adambiddle03 on 2009-07-21 20:20:54)

How is a methadone clinic legally operated. I know several young adults that go to a methadone clinic, and none of them ever get any better. Nobody else at the clinic ever gets better either. They pay nearly 500 dollars a month to get high legally. They have no set plan to ween you off. They allow you to stay there as long as you want. If you fail multiple drug tests they continue to let you come. This is absolutely insane that this is allowed by the government. I guarantee you the success rate of a methadone clinic is less than 2 %. Sure people are not doing heroin anymore, but they are doing methadone which basically does the same thing. The people I know stay high on their dosage, and come home and try to find more and more. Everyone I know that goes to that place is getting no better. Nobody that they know that goes to that place is getting any better. If you type methadone in yahoo answers, you find a bunch of addicts trying to figure out how to get more, how to sneak it out, if I take this with my methadone will I be ok, how often do they have drug tests at the clinic because I want to get high on something else too. It's crazy that no one has made this an issue. I don't think most of the general population realize this is going on. People try to argue that this is junkies trying to get better, when actually it's junkies trying to get high without having to worry about a jail sentence.

Posted by: circa 1980 on 2009-07-21, 20:25:34

That is not true in all cases. I know someone who was addicted to heroin for years, went on methadone to help himself, and has been clean for at least two years off of everything. Don't assume you KNOW about everyone. Maybe it's just your friends that don't want to come off. If they truly wanted to, they could. I would like to add that not all patients got to bring home their methadone in order to sell it. They have to be in the clinic for something like two years before it's even considered. They have to actually do the methadone INSIDE the clinic, and NO ONE who isn't a patient is allowed in there. People who get Hep C from needles were sharing their dope...not their methadone.

Posted by: Patrick G on 2009-07-21, 20:28:57

It's because of the ridiculous "WAR ON DRUGS!! " The fact is, some people want to do drugs, and nothing is going to change that.

Posted by: mamab on 2009-07-21, 20:31:39

It is sad, I agree. My mom was on methadone forever and eventually died from Hep c which she probably got from sharing needles. People from the clinic sold their methadone when they needed money, and bought others for recreational use. What makes it worse is that many of these clinics are privately owned and someone is getting rich off the whole situation. My mother in law personally knows a man who owns beach front property and this is the business he's in!

Posted by: Dr. Guess on 2009-07-21, 20:40:51

First I have a little problem with your tone in this question. You seem to want to criminalize or subject methadone (opiate) addicts as second class citizens. Addiction, especially opiate addiction, does not discriminate against age, race, creed, or social standing. It does not make a person, intrinsically, "bad ". First, the private clinics that charge such exorbitant fee's are not run by the government. They are a business, and as such, are in it for the money not to 'treat' addiction. Though the government funded clinics that are free or basically free can have the same reputation. I agree with you on the concept that methadone does not properly address or successfully treat 'addiction'. However, it does allow many I.V. users of say, heroin, dilaudid, or other opiates to live a healthier lifestyle. Yes, absolutely, they are still addicted to a very powerful opiate when they stop the I.V. use and switch to a cup of red liquid daily... but the scars on their arms heal, the risk of infection goes away quickly from these constant lacerations. The risk of further contracting HIV or Hepatitis goes down nearly 100%. The 'criminal aspect' of active addiction is less apparent with this "treatment ". There is now a supply to keep them from being sick, so they don't have quite the same desire to 'steal' or 'rob' to support their previous heroin habit. I am not naive, I know many methadone users don't use methadone exclusively,.. many use it as a crutch between 'fixes',.. and some even still participate in criminal behavior while on it. Though statistically it does lower all of these very negative lifestyle behaviors I mentioned, plus make society just a little bit safer. The success rate of inpatient rehab -- Under 7%. It isn't much better,.. addicts,.. especially those of the gripping opiate family have quite the battle ahead of them to abstain from using. At any rate, the methadone program was a good idea on paper, and turned out to not work as 'intended' in practice. However for private clinics, again, it makes them alot of profit. The government see's the positive effect their clinics has on what these addicts would be doing if the clinics didn't exist, so they remain. There are better options for opiate addiction -- Specifically Inpatient rehab, and no MORE opiates -- no opiate replacement therapy. Suboxone is another , much newer, opiate that addicts take on a maintenance basis. It has many of the same problems methadone does, from diversion, to *some* abuse, etc. Though it can help people get back on their feet again.. it isn't unheard of people to walk a path of sobriety by first getting on methadone or suboxone, etc .. then weaning off and so forth. I personally recommend patients wean off the opiates. If I.V. users of illicit drugs, I can prescribe some stronger opiates and prescribe them in weekly intervals with a 10-20% reduction taper to minimize withdrawals. This, of course, has to have complete compliance by the patient, and is very difficult to do. Which is why supervision is really paramount in something like this. After someone is 'clean' (in whatever way they accomplish it) -- no opiates in the system.. be it methadone, buprenorphine, heroin, oxycodone, hydrocodone, .. or something seemingly innocent such as tramadol hydrchloride -- They have to start to put in alot of effort if they want to stay that way. This is attending AA or NA (or both) meetings, every day for a while. This is mending relationships, showing accountability -- revealing your secret to those around you. This is telling your doctors, dentists, pharmacists, etc that you cannot have opiates -- you either had a problem with them, or are allergic -- to further prevent temptation. Burning bridges with any contacts of previous drug sources, hangouts, paraphernalia, and so on is a must. As can be seen, a TRUE success at beating such addiction requires a complete commitment and as can be seen from the low success rates is VERY hard, and is partly low because people don't realize all the pieces of the recovery puzzle. Though back to the clinics -- I don't see them as completely useless,.. they can be a tool to some, and just a healthier way to live for people who just don't want to quit. Just one mans opinion though.

Posted by: carryrecovery on 2009-07-21, 23:23:44

I have a dear friend who has been on methadone maintenance for 8 years. He attempted a "rapid detox " after two years and was so traumatized by the experience, I truly beleive he now also suffers from PTSD and panics at the slightest sense of discomfort or possibility he may miss the clinic's short window of operation. He was never an IV drug user or has ever even tried heroin, morphine... He was addicted to Vicodin taking up to 20 5/ 500's daily and took Percocet when available. When I met him two years ago, he was at 180mg methadon daily. His goal was to be at 30mg within 9 months to switch to Suboxone. He has only been able to get down to 120mg in 26 months. In these two years I have seen him steadily becomming more and more unable to manage his basic affairs and now suffering bouts of severe depression and anxiety. He is convinced that methadon has saved his life and that no one can detox from it in a hospital/ rehab setting that only a gradual taper will do it. Has this ever worked? His clinic has no support groups, no access to a supervising physician, no support for family, no meetings where former clients successfully off methadon share their experience, strenght and hope. Only a "counselor " who I believe is a RN, but has no other mental/ behavioral health credientials. My friend is allowed to navigate his own dosage and although against policy, routinely binge drinks and stores urine to which he heats in the microwave before racing to the clinic at 6am. How is this a "plus " to society, economy and humanity? I'll admit that I'm a recovering achololic and attend AA, went to rehab in 2000, detoxed severely along with opiate addicts. We all did ok. Not pleasant, but supervised, made as comfortable as possible and were safe. In general, the first three days were painful, nausea, hallucinations, shakes. 3-5 days were a blur, but by day 7-8 I and others were free mentally and physically. Next came the task of working through our stories and beliefs about ourselves and what triggers addiction. How to seperate the disease talking from reality eg. what is real pain and what is perceived pain. I do not have any moral prejudice toward drug of choice. It's a disease- period. I don't know everything about methadon, but I want more than anything to penetrate my friends addict mind to show him 8 days of detox vs. 8 years of methadon is worth it. Advice anyone?? And to add to the first question, I do see the benefit in Methadon for IV drug users due to the dangerous behaviours and health risks for those addicts, but more and more prescription opiate addicts (anyone heard of OXYCONTIN?) are turning to methadon thereby negating the traditional "cost-benefit " analysis of the IV herion prostitute prevention model and also suspends the legitmacy of the pharmaceutical industry who is making money off the addict one way or another as long as they are using right?

Posted by: Dr. Pure on 2009-07-25, 14:56:26

Couldn't agree more... There are so many natural alternatives but no one knows about them and since you can't patent a plant the Big Pharma isn't interested in researching them. Wild Kratom cured a friend of mine out of her Oxycontin addiction and Salvia cures a friend of mine out of his Meth addiction. It only took a week!! They were drug free for life after that...