Methadone was invented in Germany in 1937 because it was thought that there would be a shortage of opium, which is needed to make morphine. The drug was given the trade name of Dolphine, which is Latin. Methadone is also a lot cheaper than many other leading drugs like hydromorphone and hydrocodone. It is also useful for people who have become dependent on heroin but be forewarned that methadone addiction is highly likely. Luckily, methadone addiction treatment is also available.
Methadone can be used to stabilize heroin addicts with oral doses of 65mg to 85mg to block the euphoric effects of heroin; as a result of this, opiate addicts can stop their dependence on other drugs like heroin.
Methadone was introduced to the United States in 1947 by Eli Lilly, and they gave it the trade name Dolphine. Today, it is best known for treating heroin addicts. Methadone maintenance has been the most studied therapy for the treatment of drug-addicted patients.
If you are addicted to heroin, you have some options to choose to stop using heroin. There is heroin detox at home where you basically go heroin cold turkey, i.e., you will have no drugs to help with your heroin withdrawal.
Next, we have heroin ultra-rapid detox. This will be done in a treatment facility, and you will be taken care of by trained staff. Once you are admitted, you will be given anesthesia to render you unconscious and then will be given medications to remove all the opiates from your body. When you awake, chances are better than average that you remember absolutely nothing about your heroin rapid detox. This same process can be used for methadone withdrawal.
Lastly, there is methadone maintenance, which you can avoid if at all possible. The reason we say this is that it is very addicting. If you go for the methadone maintenance phase, you may be strung out on methadone for several months to several years. In most cases, it may take up to six take homes a week. You may feel like you have been chained down to the methadone treatment center because, for instance, if you ever wanted to go on vacation or something, it could be a painful experience. They can set you up to dose along the way from state to state so that you may not worry about it. We just want all of you to know what you are getting into if you are prescribed thr use of methadone.
You can develop a methadone addiction if you continue to take the dose and you want more even bit you no longer feel it after the first month or so. Now, you know what you are getting into if you choose a methadone detox. We will add that it is probably alright if you try the methadone detox for a limited period and then cut it loose. We know from the experiences of our patients that some make it this way, and others go on to methadone maintenance.