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Methadone Withdrawal

Methadone if taken for long periods and at large doses can lead to a very long withdrawal period. As compared to other opiates in which the withdrawal period is a week to ten days, heavy methadone users can expect to not recover for up to 5 or 6 weeks. Methadone withdrawal is one of the worst feelings that you can ever go through.

Many people trade addictions switching from heroin to methadone. This trade off comes with many downsides though, including one of the most painful withdrawal process known. Many individual end up in methadone "therapy" for years fearing the painful withdrawal that is sure to come when they discontinue use. Methadone does not have to be the way of life for former heroin addicts. Gradual cessation followed by a drug-free program of rehabilitation may be the answer for many sufferers. After several days of stabilizing a patient with methadone, the amount is gradually decreased. The rate at which it is decreased is dependent on the reaction of the individual . . . keeping methadone withdrawal symptoms at a tolerable level is the goal.

Methadone is a (synthetic opiate) narcotic that when administered once a day, orally, in adequate doses, can usually suppress a heroin addict's craving and withdrawal for 24 hours. Patients are as physically dependent on methadone as they were to heroin or other opiates, such as OxyContin or Vicodin. Ironically, methadone used to control narcotic addiction is frequently encountered on the illicit market and has been associated with a number of overdose deaths. Tolerance and addiction to methadone is a dangerous threat, as methadone addiction withdrawal results from the cessation of use. Many former heroin users have claimed that the horrors of heroin addiction withdrawal were far less painful and difficult than Methadone addiction withdrawal.

Methadone withdrawal symptoms include but are not limited to:

  • sneezing
  • yawning
  • tearing of eyes
  • runny nose
  • excessive perspiration
  • fever
  • dilated pupils
  • abdominal cramps
  • nausea
  • body aches
  • tremors
  • irritability

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  • Drug Facts
  • Methadone was initially used as a painkiller by the Germans during World War II.
  • Many former heroin users have claimed that the horrors of heroin withdrawal were far less painful and difficult than withdrawal from methadone.
  • Methadone Maintenance is not a cure for heroin or opiate addiction.
  • As long as an individual is receiving methadone treatment they are still addicted to opioids.