Methadone Withdrawal Treatment | Methadone Treatment Indiana

What is Methadone Detox (and Withdrawal)?

A synthetic opioid prescribed for severe pain and withdrawal from other drugs like heroin, methadone is highly addictive. In fact, Methadone acts on the exact receptors in the brain as heroin and morphine, and its potential for being abused is greatly worsened by the usual need for methadone to be used for long periods of time in maintenance doses for those already in recovery from other opioids. Because someone who wishes to quit methadone may have been on the medication for years, they can experience serious symptoms and life-threatening conditions without medically supervised detox.

During a professional and watchful methadone detox, the synthetic opioid is purged from the system and broken down by the body until it no longer exists in the brain or blood. As part of this recovery process, symptoms and withdrawal stages vary from person to person. That’s why patients of Indiana Center for Recovery find that supportive detox methods are essential to regain control of their lives, minds, and bodies after years of powerful methadone abuse.

Indiana Center for Recovery strongly encourages professional detox for anyone struggling with methadone abuse and thoroughly believes in a person-first process for the treatment of the addiction. Through the expertise of their trained staff, mental health professionals, recovery experts, and certified physicians—Indiana Center for Recovery provides a healthy space for anyone who wants to clean themselves of methadone and start a sober life on fresh footing. At a state-of-the-art facility, their patients can create the most secure and healthy outcomes for themselves and their families by leaving methadone in the past and working through the immediate and pressing symptoms of withdrawal with coordinated care.

In the three following steps of the methadone detox and withdrawal process, patients who were addicted to methadone can proceed with their lives and move toward more health and fulfillment for themselves as well as those they love. More than that, they can also access mental health support through therapy and other programs to ensure that their recovery, body, and mind are sound and balanced.

Methadone Detox Assessment

As the initial start of methadone addiction recovery, the first step in methadone detox is to complete a complete substance use profile from trained staff at your addiction treatment facility. As part of this process, a doctor and your recovery team will come to understand the severity of your addiction to methadone and assess your placement within the known stages of methadone withdrawal. Without establishing your situation with professional help, it is impossible to know how you will react to detox and whether you will need medical intervention as part of your recovery.

While this is done, your mental health is established by the recovery team as well because of its close interplay with methadone addiction issues. Mental and emotional instability and suffering commonly influence substance use disorders and methadone addiction. With the results of your initial assessment, the recovery center is in the best place to see where psychiatric help may be needed and where therapeutic treatments may be beneficial as your detox plan is mapped out.

Methadone Detox Customization

With the methadone detox assessment completed, doctors and your treatment team will move to quickly stabilize you within the withdrawal symptom stage of detox. These specialists and professionals are trained to guide you through a very challenging and harrowing process for many people. It’s essential to know that you can rely on your team for help and assistance through the many cycles of symptoms that come with withdrawal from methadone. They will be there to monitor and participate in your treatment throughout.

In many instances, your support through this team is implemented within hours of abstaining from methadone, even if it may take a few days for signs of withdrawal to show themselves. However, each detox and patient is unique, so your experience of methadone withdrawal and supervised detox will be individualized. At Indiana Center for Recovery, you know that you will receive custom and tailor-fit approaches to maintaining your sobriety and facilitating your detox regardless of which symptoms you present and what your background with substance abuse may be. Whatever support is needed during detox and recovery, your team is there to provide.

Because detox and withdrawal are highly individual in nature, the treatment duration may be a single day, several days, or possibly many weeks. No one can be sure what to expect when the body is forced to purge itself of the drug and reestablish itself to cope with pain on its own because methadone is such a powerful synthetic opioid. In light of its similarity to other opiate addictions, Indiana Center for Recovery provides each patient with custom-fit care that meets their need for guidance, stability, and safety throughout the process.

Continued Methadone Addiction Treatment

Detox from methadone is the first and primary step in complete methadone addiction treatment and recovery. Once completed, patients are able to access additional forms of methadone addiction treatment to combat their abuse of the substance in a permanent and lasting way. These further therapies and treatment help to close the possibility of relapse, modify behaviors associated with the condition of addiction, and implant new ways of thinking and acting that will create a life of sustainable sobriety.

Beyond methadone detox with trained staff and certified doctors, Indiana Center for Recovery provides patients with programs of care like inpatient treatment and outpatient rehabilitation to solidify recovery. Both these avenues of treatment begin with the backbone of a solid detox process and abstinence, applying additional structure and security for patients who want to achieve a life worth living, reach their recovery goals, and go on to lead fulfilling purposes in the world independent of the facility. Some of these treatments will include talk therapy, medical supervision, medication management, psychiatric care, support groups, referrals, and more.

Symptoms of Methadone Detox and Withdrawal

The withdrawal symptoms of methadone seen during detox can appear in a few short hours after the last use of the drug, and they can worsen over time. Even if methadone was only used as prescribed in therapeutic dosages, the after-effects and withdrawal symptoms displayed by the body can be severe and require medical supervision and professional detox in a secure, safe environment—especially if cessation from methadone is abrupt.

More than just rapidly appearing after a few uses of methadone, symptoms of methadone withdrawal can be profound and life-threatening in some situations. Patients often report that the period of withdrawal as incredibly straining on their emotions, physical vitality, and mental resilience.

Methadone Detox Symptoms

Your true symptoms of withdrawal from methadone cannot be determined beforehand, but there are common symptoms that many suffering addicts show when they are seen in detox settings. Still, the symptoms of methadone withdrawal vary widely, just as everyone’s reaction to the drug itself can be vastly different in itself.

For the most part, withdrawal reactions to methadone will be seen after 24 hours have passed since the last dose. After this time, the duration of the symptoms will vary from person to person as well lasting anywhere from two weeks to six months. Some of the most commonly seen forms of methadone withdrawal symptoms include:

–         extreme tiredness

–         increased anxiety

–         consistent restlessness

–         persistent sweating

–         watering eyes

–         running nose

–         incessant yawning

–         sleep disturbances

Some see these symptoms as mild and looking relatively similar to a flu or cold, but they are not to be confused with those illnesses because of the severity with which they can present. In some cases, patients experience these symptoms for only a few days, but many will see weeks of more intense symptoms as they cleanse themselves of methadone. In the withdrawal process, such conditions include:

–         muscle pain

–         body aches

–         severe chills

–         chronic nausea

–         repeated vomiting

–         intense cramps

–         acute diarrhea

–         severe depression

–         methadone cravings

During the first week of detox, the symptoms of methadone withdrawal are usually most severe, but they can last months as well. Attending these symptoms, many people also experience extremely low energy levels and feelings of worthlessness that come with depression and sleep trouble as well as frightening anxiety levels.

Withdrawal from methadone will cause people serious discomfort to such an extent that the instinct to return to drug use can be heightened during the period. That means that supervised detox at a secure facility is the safest and wisest course of treatment and recovery from methadone. In these settings, lower and lower doses of methadone can be administered to the patient in a controlled environment allowing for the person to taper off the drug and more smoothly detox completely.

Further Forms of Methadone Addiction Treatment

Once methadone withdrawal symptoms first expose themselves during medical detox after the first 30 hours, they usually worsen and come to improvement over two weeks while Indiana Center for Recovery serves these patients with the highest levels of customized care.

Nevertheless, the actual length, course, and form of treatment for methadone addiction will depend on factors that the patient brings. Research shows there are many ways that methadone addiction can be successfully treated, and so there is no fixed way that each patient can be guaranteed recovery without personal attention and support. Instead, treatment is based on several key factors for creating a successful recovery plan and course of treatment for each patient which includes:

–         Duration of methadone maintenance/usage

–         Dosage of methadone used/abused

–         Form of methadone taken

–         Personal, medical, and mental health variables

–         Co-occurring substance use disorder or opioid use disorder

Because of the enormous possible variation between these factors from patient to patient—all treatment of methadone addiction begins with an evaluation from which treatment plans are made and care followed. With a custom treatment plan and medical staff monitoring their progress along the way, patients are set up to progress through methadone detox and withdrawal toward therapies and treatments that will take them to their desired goal of complete sobriety. These additional therapies and treatments come in residential and outpatient programs.

Residential Methadone Addiction Treatment

After the methadone detox program is fulfilled, patients with opioid addiction can continue to receive care through daily therapy, case management, and group counseling in an environment that safeguards them from access to or interest in synthetic or typical opioids. Within the residential methadone treatment facility, patients can receive unique, hand-chosen treatment modalities to target their mental health and wellness while benefiting from a combination of medical treatment, group therapy, individual therapy, and positive guidance.

Outpatient Methadone Addiction Treatment

Often following a residential stay, patients at Indiana Center for Recovery can also benefit from a partial hospitalization program (or outpatient rehab program). In this format, patients participate for four to six hours each day on five or more days per week at the Indiana Center for Recovery facility. During this day treatment, patients can be assisted without needing complete, 24-hour monitoring, helping them to transition to independent living and productive contribution to their families and communities. The day program includes many of the same treatments and therapies available for residential recovery as well as nutrition counseling, occupational therapy, motivational enhancement, community reinforcement, medication management, and more.

Start Methadone Detox in Indiana

Indiana Center for Recovery medically monitors and coordinates methadone detox and addiction treatment for those struggling with the drug across the state and the United States. Alongside their patients—whether detox, residential, or outpatient—Indiana Center for Recovery helps forge strength in sobriety and courage to build up lifelong resilience against addiction and drug use.

Starting with a place of safety within which to withdraw from methadone through medically supervised detox, patients prepare themselves for a full, rich life of satisfying, clean experiences without drugs or alcohol. Through Indiana Center for Recovery, you can end your toxic relationship with methadone, cut ties with mental and emotional dependency, and reach for a life of meaningful purpose. Begin by simply contacting one of our addiction specialists to discuss your desire to be free from methadone.