5 Risks Associated With Taking Methadone

5 Risks Associated With Taking Methadone

Methadone is one of the opiates which is the toughest and challenging to get over. Methadone has been prescribed and abused for many years. Methadone can be safe to use if it’s being used for a short term under the right conditions. It can also be used for treating withdrawal symptoms from other forms of opiates.

Methadone is also known as a pain reliever and its used for treating chronic pain. Methadone is cheaper and accessible as compared to other types of painkillers. When a user abuses it, he can suffer from methadone addiction and experience similar effects as when taking heroin and other opioid drugs.

Here are six risks associated with overuse of methadone

1. Death or injuries

Methadone was manufactured to act as a pain reliever and improve the quality of life. However, many people abuse it leading to a reduction in the quality of life lived leading to severe pain to the people who abuse the drug. Methadone should be taken in small amounts, but anything more than the prescribed dosage can be dangerous. Moderate or large amounts of methadone can lead to erratic heartbeat, coma, low blood pressure or even death. The scariest part of taking methadone is that if you take an overdose is that you can die from it the first time you use it.

2. Addiction

There are many bad things which come from overuse of methadone such as methadone addiction. Many people start using methadone with the aim of treating severe conditions like heroin, but they end up being addicts instead. Some people start their addiction with a prescription note from their doctor while others use the drug to taste its effects. No matter the reasons for taking methadone addiction can happen rapidly and it can take over your life in an overnight.

3. Criminal risks

It is illegal for a person to possess methadone without a doctor’s prescription and it’s also illegal for a person who is not licensed professional to distribute methadone. In case you are caught with possession of methadone, and you don’t have a prescription or are not authorized you can be jailed for months or years. A person who is addicted to methadone is most likely to end up in three places: rehabilitation institute, six feet under or in jail. Luckily if you become an addict, there are many institutions which you can go to and get help.

4. Financial risks

Methadone is expensive, and methadone addiction can make you use up all the money which you had saved. Methadone addicts have a reputation of stealing, pawn and use all their savings due to the drugs powerful addiction and withdrawal symptoms. If you want t to lose everything which you have worked for its when you start using methadone.

5. Withdrawal

You won’t die from using methadone, but you will wish that you were dead. Some of the symptoms which come from opiate withdrawal are pain, fever, confusion, depression, anxiety, and lethargy. Withdrawal symptoms can disrupt a person’s life, and they can make your future look bleak. You will come across many challenges if you decide to withdrawal from methadone. Methadone is dangerous since it remains in your body for weeks even after stopping to use it.

Withdrawal from other opiate drugs can last for several days, but with methadone, it will be weeks or even months depending on the amount which was used and the history of abuse. Withdrawal symptoms which are known as dope sick are what brings users back to methadone even after being ready to get clean.

It’s difficult to get off any opiate, but methadone is the most difficult to get off because of its long-lasting effects and withdrawal symptoms. People should avoid using methadone without a doctor’s prescription and also avoid using it for prolonged periods.