Our website provides access to information and support for people seeking help. We are not a medical center or doctors and cannot prescribe treatment. Our free phone numbers and chats allow you to connect with various institutions where you can receive professional help. We collaborate with these institutions, Sober living home but we keep your privacy.
Methadone Side Effects on the Brain
Assess recent opioid use, including frequency, quantity, type, route, and recency (last day of use and use in the past 30 days). Caution patients that methadone may affect cognition and psychomotor performance and can have sedating effects. Urge patients to be cautious in using heavy machinery and driving until they are sure that their abilities are not compromised. Having a history of at least 1 year of opioid addiction before admission. Not all patients meeting OUD criteria, particularly those with mild OUD, are appropriate candidates for methadone.
How to Get Into a Methadone Clinic
May have lower levels of opioid tolerance based on their recent history. Alert patients to the potential for misuse and diversion of methadone. Obtain permission to communicate with the benzodiazepine prescriber to confirm the reason for use, adherence to treatment, and prescriber awareness of the patient’s OUD.
Help for methadone withdrawal
Methadone can remain in your body for up to two weeks after discontinuing the drug, but it may take even longer for a person to feel back to normal. If symptoms become too severe, consult a medical professional on alternative treatment or better ways to cope with the detox process. Methadoneis a long-term medication used to treat opioid use disorder. However, since it’s an opioid itself, there is a chance for abuse. It is generally only recommended to stop using methadone with the help of an addiction professional, but some people try to stop using this drug at home without any help.
- Providers can help patients explore publicly supported treatment options or apply for insurance.
- Some people are admitted immediately to a program, while others must wait days or weeks for admittance.
- If you were taking the drug as a part of an opioid treatment program or to manage opioid cravings and withdrawal symptoms you should make sure you’re ready to quit before proceeding.
How does methadone help in treating opioid addiction?
Support groups can connect you with others who understand what you’re going through. It’s possible for some people to become addicted to methadone as they use it to wean themselves off of another prescription painkiller. Three weeks of use of methadone starts to alter brain nerve cells, which affects memory, learning, and cognitive function. Other side effects include hallucinations, how do you get off methadone confusion, seizures, drowsiness, sleep changes, and headache. You may be prescribed anti-nausea medications or medications to help ease anxiety and irritability. Buprenorphine, clonidine, and naloxone are all medications that can help relieve symptoms.