Methadone: Medical Detox for Heroin Addiction

Heroin is an illegal Schedule I narcotic, placing it in the group of the most highly addictive drugs available on the streets. There are many methods of using heroine, including: snorting, smoking, swallowing or injecting. Heroin is one of the few drugs known to sometimes cause an instant physical addiction in the brain.

Withdrawing from heroin is dangerous and could potentially be lethal. It is one of the most difficult drugs from which to detox, because the side effects of withdrawal will either kill you or make you wish you were dead.

The best bet is to just never use heroin. Seems simple enough. But what if you or a loved one does become addicted to this nasty substance? The best way to kick a heroin habit is by using something known as a medical detox. This must be administered by a doctor, and typically is done by using another opiate based drug known as methadone.

A synthetic narcotic for use in treating certain withdrawal symptoms from illegal drug abuse, methadone has been well-tested and has been deemed safe for such use. Methadone used for treatment in opioid drug addiction, is most commonly known as a replacement drug for heroin and morphine, but has not shown much benefit for withdrawal from other drugs.

Heroin is considered one of the most highly addictive drugs on the street today, with withdrawal symptoms so severe that withdrawal from heroin can cause death. Methadone, when used as a replacement for the craving for heroin, can help alleviate or lessen the withdrawal symptoms. However, methadone does not produce the euphoria that heroin does, so the theory is that methadone will help stave off the cravings, without becoming psychosomatically addictive itself.