Treating Addiction: A Case Study

Objective: This study compared the effectiveness of methadone, Subutex, and Suboxone in reducing illicit drug use during treatment for opioid dependency and retaining patients for the duration of treatment.

Methadone belongs to the class/family of drugs known as opioids, methadone is a synthetic opioid (it is made from chemicals in a lab) that was first developed in the 1960’s in Germany to treat and mask pain, however it became more popular

Not only is the user reducing their risks of overdose with heroin and methadone, they are also reducing their use of other substances. This allows the user to become more of a functioning member of society, due to their decreased activities with other substances.

Have you ever witnessed an addict experiencing the effects of withdrawals from opiate abuse? Having witnessed my 24 year old son go through these, while I was experiencing them right by his side, was an eye opener. Even though Methadone and Suboxone both treat opiate addiction, their use is controversial; however the benefits of their use outweigh the controversy.

In the video Opiate Addiction: Understanding Replacement Therapy, Scott Farnum talks about methadone replacement therapy. There were many topics covered in this video and the topics were introduced in a psychoeducational format. The topics covered included a brief history opioids, brain chemistry, post acute withdrawal syndrome, abstinence based treatment programs verses harm reduction, and how an individual asses the damages of opioids on the brain. As a counselor in training, I found all the information useful because I have not studied methadone replacement therapy in detail.

Methadone is taken in orally and survives through the digestive system so there is no need to be injected into the patient. It reaches the brain slowly, dampening the “high” that would occur with other routes of administration while also preventing withdrawal symptoms (Heroin, 2014). The advantages of using methadone for heroin addicts are its comparatively low cost and long half-life. According to the Center for Disease Control, methadone helps to restore a degree of normalcy to brain function and behavior, resulting in increased employment rates and lower risk of HIV and other diseases and criminal behavior (Methadone Maintence Treatment, 2002). However, there are a variety of different effective treatments that are available for heroin addiction, including both behavioral therapies and medications. Heroin addicts should be place on less addictive medications like Burenorphine before being placed on Methadone. Buprenorphine, overall, is safer than methadone, and it is easier for an addict to stop buprenorphine than to detox from methadone (Heroin,

Methadone, like heroin belongs to the opioid family of drugs. From a chemical standpoint, ¨ both heroin and methadone are substances to which you get easily addicted, because most people use them for extended periods of time and develop a tolerance for them quickly. However, there is a big difference between heroin and methadone addictions. Usually, heroin withdrawal lasts for a short time, whereas methadone addicts going through withdrawal can expect to experience side effects for as long as six weeks.¨ (Cheour, 2015)

It is a clinic that will serve the population of persons who have or still struggle with abusing heroin and other opiates.

Solution l: Other drug treatment facilities use partial opioid agonists like methadone and suboxone. Suboxone is a combination of two drugs that reward a user for correct usage, block the effects of other opioids, and if misused gives a nasty hangover. The drug gives the user similar

Currently in Ontario there are approximately 30,000 people, between the ages of 15 and 49, using illicit opioids on a regular basis. (Hart 2007) Opioid use is a costly and dangerous social problem and is the fastest growing drug problem in the country. The good news is that there is a treatment that has been proven by research and evidence to be effective. Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) is a long term treatment program used to treat opioid dependence and addiction.(Source) MMT works by preventing withdrawal symptoms in opiate users. It also prevents the euphoria the user is seeking from other opiates. MMT uses the drug of Methadone to do this. Methadone is a synthetic opioid commonly used to treat opioid dependence.(Source)

According to the World Wide Web site by Narconon of California, "Methadone maintenance treatment can be practical, low cost, and opportune way to manage an addiction to opiates. However the risk of use, which includes a possible addiction, and the plausibility of the suffrage that may come from methadone withdrawal are undeniable and do exist. Employed solely, it does not address the heart of the issues that surrounddependency. 

Having a close family member, that suffers from an opiate addiction, has made the last few years difficult and educational. I have found myself transformed from being judgmental to being more understanding and curious about addiction. Researching articles for this assignment, I stumbled across an article about opiate addiction and pain management. Chronic and Acute and Pain Management for Patients in Methadone Maintenance Treatment explores the impact of chronic and acute pain among MMT patients, how pain is treated in MMT patients, and the barriers to effective pain management in MMT patients. Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is one most used and successful treatments for patients addicted to opioids. In short, patients are given a daily dose of methadone that is gradually decreased to limit the effects of withdrawal, making recovery easier for the patient. According to Dr. Elizabeth Eyler (2013), MMT patients tend have higher rates of pain and report more chronic pain than the general

Classified as an antidote, naloxone gives individuals who overdose on opioids a second chance at life, but without access to proper treatment, these users will continue living in the cycle of addiction until either finding enough strength to pull through the recovery process or falling victim to life’s only certainty prematurely.

of HHS, pg. 20) It appears fairly obvious that the use of methadone can create a much greater propensity for the desired result than have other modalities. I would assert that the use of methadone, especially early in one’s addiction, can help guide the addict into a mainstream lifestyle; rather than into a lifestyle of shame and perpetual punishment. The current treatment option of criminalizing addicts can be implemented still in the potentially rare instances that there may be those unwilling to disengage from current undesirable lifestyles.

I will be recruiting the participants who are admitted as inpatient for long term substance abuse treatment. If the patient admit that they are schizophrenic or bipolar before participation, I will get all their medical history pertaining to schizophrenia or bipolar and will discuss with the experienced person and seek their advice. Based on the advice and health condition of the patient I will consider him/her to continue with the session. As far as yoga is concerned, it is beneficial for any disorder including schizophrenia or bipolar. The intention of that patient is to find a solution to get rid of medication and at the same time live a healthy life. Yoga and meditation, will not only help the patient to abstain from substance abuse but