Methadone maintenance is a form of treatment for clients in Iota who are addicted to heroin or prescription opioid medications. This form of treatment has been around for a very long time, and the general idea is that people are no longer involved in the drug using behavior that was driven by their addiction since the methadone they are taking satisfies cravings and prevents withdrawal symptoms. Similar to heroin, methadone is a full opioid agonist which activates the same neurons in the brain as heroin. This is what makes methadone so powerful as a substitute for heroin and prescription pain killers.
Clients enrolled in methadone maintenance therapy must dose on a daily basis to avoid withdrawal from the methadone itself. This might be financially and logistically challenging, but some people find it a better option than a heroin addiction. Nevertheless, those beginning methadone maintenance should know that methadone detox is known to be far more difficult than even heroin detoxification and withdrawal. Once on a certain dosage of methadone, there are many detoxification facilities that will not take methadone maintenance clients because detoxification can be very difficult and relapse rates are considerably high.