Methadone is a synthetic drug used as a pain reliever, but in some countries it is also used to treat drug dependence. In our country, this drug is prohibited for use in medical practice, because, according to experts, the consequences of methadone can be even more deplorable than from conventional drugs, since it is even more addictive than the same heroin.
History of the creation of the drug
Methadone was created during the Second World War at the direction of one of the high-ranking leaders of the Third Reich, the right hand of Hitler himself - Hermann Goering. Goering was at that time a drug addict and was firmly on opiates. Since things were not going well with the supply of such funds during the war, he encouraged specialists to create a synthetic agent in which there was nopoppy opiates would appear, but it would have all the properties of these substances.
Pharmacists almost succeeded. They synthesized a drug that had a much longer effect and at the same time completely stopped addiction to conventional opiates. It was immediately used to treat drug addiction, although addiction to it itself turned out to be even more persistent and dangerous than to opiates themselves.
Methadone as a pain reliever
In countries where such a drug is allowed, it is often used as a powerful pain reliever along with oxytocin and Vicodin, which, by the way, was "sat" by the well-known Dr. House. And you can learn about the consequences of prolonged use of methadone from the same series, since all the aggravating consequences from this drug are completely similar to taking the same drug.
Being an opioid antagonist, that is, a drug that stops the perception of certain effects by receptors, methadone completely suppresses the effect on receptors of natural opioids, such as heroin. But at the same time, it also relieves any pain, regardless of the nature of their occurrence. The effect of the drug is already manifested within the first half hour from the moment of administration.
Methadone as a remedy for addiction
Not all drug addicts will benefit from the remedy. It can only relieve withdrawal symptoms in opiate addicts. For example, if a person is addicted tomorphine, methadone will be useless. It is able to relieve pain, but withdrawals are associated with other processes, and only an antagonist created specifically for the drug on the basis of which it is made will help to cope with them. For example, morphine has a number of antagonists, one of which is naloxone.
Methadone is tuned only to block withdrawal symptoms, that is, a response to the body's natural signals indicating a lack of heroin or other opium-based drugs in it. That is, if you are a cocaine addict, taking methadone will not help you, since cocaine is not an opioid, but an alkaloid. It requires its own antagonist.
Consequences of self-treatment
Treatment with such drugs should take place in accordance with programs specially designed for each individual and only in special rehabilitation centers. Self-medication with such drugs is unlikely to be effective. And the consequences of an overdose of methadone (after all, often in the hope of quickly relieving pain, a drug addict may take a larger dose than it should be or earlier than it should be) can be deplorable. The drug is very quickly absorbed by the mucosa and after 10 minutes is already found in the bloodstream. Since the peak of its concentration in the blood is already reached in an hour, gastric lavage will be effective only for the first half hour (depending on the dose taken).
Overdose is cumulative. Why should only a he althcare professional prescribe the dose? Because ifthe accepted dose will be greater, it may not be fully excreted by the organs, but partially accumulate in the body. In the end, there will come a moment of pronounced intoxication, which will lead to death. Therefore, the drug should be taken only under control and only after the previous dose is completely eliminated from the body of the drug addict.
Methadone substitution therapy concept
Substitution maintenance therapy has its origins 30 years ago, when methadone-like antagonists began to replace street drugs in drug addicts. The goals were good:
- Firstly, it reduced the risk of various kinds of infections through injections, since methadone and other drugs of this type are not a solution that must be administered through a vein, but tablets that are taken by mouth and washed down with water.
- Secondly, methadone therapy relieved withdrawal symptoms and reduced cravings for drugs bought on the street, the quality of which was always in doubt.
- Thirdly, crimes motivated by drug addiction should have been many times less.
Specialists hoped for the following. A drug addict comes and gets his daily dose of methadone for free, after which he stops injecting street rubbish and acting like the last bastard, ready to strangle his neighbor for the sake of a dose.
Practice has shown…
As practice has shown, such therapy turned out to be a complete failure. Drug addicts, having received their duty dose inmedical center, returned to the street and injected along the way with other rubbish, from which the doctors tried to save them. And the combination of methadone with street "solutions" made it even worse.
In addition, we must not forget that methadone is a drug, and even a synthetic one, which is even more addictive. Therefore, the number of methadone addicts began to grow, for whom one dose of methadone per day was not enough.
A large number of drug addicts appeared, who initially got hooked on heroin, and later on methadone, seduced by its long action and protection from withdrawal. The consequences of methadone, that is, therapy with this drug, were only worse. Therefore, today more and more countries are beginning to abandon the use of this drug and the replacement therapy itself.
The situation in the USSR
This practice was adopted not everywhere. If in European countries and in North America it was already elevated to the rank of compulsory medical care and was widely used in the rehabilitation of drug addicts, then in the Soviet Union, methadone maintenance substitution therapy was never heard of.
First of all, this was due to the fact that at that time there were ten times fewer drug addicts in our country than in Western countries. Therefore, the Ministry of He alth did not take this issue to heart and believed that we did not need to bother about the “threat of drug addiction” at all. The percentage of drug addicts was painfully low in the country.
With the collapse of the USSR, the problem began to grow like a snowball. The mess touched everything, and warehouses withincluding medicines. A huge amount of opiates then went from hand to hand and the number of drug addicts in our country immediately caught up with the West, and in some regions even broke all conceivable records.
How things stand now
Now a dose of methadone in our country is much more expensive than a dose of heroin. But despite this, the number of methadone addicts is growing. And since this drug is not always at hand, yesterday's drug addicts are very tempted to again drown out the shortage with any available drug.
But substitution therapy in our narcological dispensaries has nevertheless begun to be carried out, although it is carried out on the basis of other drugs. The only synthetic drug that is legally allowed in our country is Vivitrol (the antagonist is n altrexone).
What you need to pay attention to first of all
In the pursuit of introducing substitution therapy into practice, some specialists get carried away and sometimes simply forget that methadone is a drug, and that, having removed the addict from the heroin needle and transplanted to methadone, he will have to be treated for addiction to methadone itself. The expectation that with the help of this drug it is possible to cure an addict from heroin addiction and he will not have time to get used to methadone has no basis. They get used to it even faster than to heroin. But in any case, the root of all the troubles with therapy lies much deeper and lies in the field of psychology.
Rehabilitationdrug addicts
But the effectiveness of replacement therapy is not reduced to zero. The well-established practice of using methadone in reputable Western narcological dispensaries shows that some drug addicts can still be deterred from using drugs. True, only special relapse prevention programs can protect them from subsequent breakdowns by 100%.
First of all, treatment is based on the methods of socialization of yesterday's drug addicts, constant help and control, coupled with the use of special psychotherapeutic drugs - antidepressants, like Aurorex, Coaxil, Zoloft and the like.
Methadone failure root
The main root of failures with the drug "Methadone" is that although it is addictive, the addict does not get "high" from it as such. Therefore, many, when they come for the duty dose, do not swallow the pills, but only pretend to hide them under the tongue, and then exchange them for cheaper street heroin or sell them to buy a dose of opiate and get high.
Any drug addict who has gotten off the heroin needle does not need protection from withdrawal symptoms (especially when they have already passed), but still a buzz, and therefore taking an antagonist does not suit them. They are not interested in the fact that withdrawal symptoms have disappeared, and their mood has improved, they just need to have fun. Such people really need the support of psychotherapists, and not further treatment with drugs. In addition, the consequences of methadone, or ratherprolonged use can lead to more disastrous results.
Methadone addiction is akin to nicotine addiction. The smoker smokes, but does not get any buzz from it. It is simply vital for him to smoke his pack a day. The effects of methadone are the same. No high, but the dose is desperately needed, and withdrawal from the lack of methadone is a hundred times stronger than in the case of a smoker and nicotine. Why talk in vain - worse than with heroin. And how to treat a drug addict now? Heroin? Vicious circle…
Conclusion
Treatment of drug addiction with the help of antagonist drugs should be carried out by experienced specialists under the vigilant supervision of psychotherapists. Only then will such substances have a positive effect. And that's not a fact. A lot in the matter of a person's recovery depends on the person himself. And it is not at all necessary that initially he is 100% set for a full-fledged rehabilitation. And if not? Is it worth transplanting it from one needle to another, or even to both at once, if it is already clear from the outset that the case will end in failure?
Some Western drug dispensaries think it's worth it. Although what drives them is not clear: endless altruism or the money of relatives of drug addicts that they bring to these centers in the hope of returning their relatives to normal life? After all, you can always say at the end: “We did everything we could. But there's nothing you can do if your loved one doesn't want to…”
