Does methadone help addicts or just create new ones legally?

Question

My friend & I had a debate earlier today about wether or not methadone clinics help drug addicts or if they just create a different kind of addict legally. 
I say it depends on the person. I’ve heard of it helping people (my half-sister being one of them) & I’ve heard of it ruining people’s lives as well. 
Do you think it helps or just creates a new problem?

Answer

Methadone isn’t perfect, but I don’t see how it would create new addicts. In general I favor harm reduction programs, and it’s safer than heroin.

Answer

Street opiates are often cut with other chemicals and drugs so at least with a substitute medication like methadone you know what you getting. Those dose is low so you aren't getting the same thing as when you take heroin but it will stop you going into withdrawal (skin crawling sweating and shaking nausea etc. Subutex is a partial opiate blocker too and is usually prescribed for people who having being taking heroin long. Addicts are often part of a life style and stopping all drugs is difficult so a low dose of methadone helps with the transition. Lots of people are on very low dose methadone scripts because they struggled to stop completely for fear of relapse. 
Clinics also provide support to access housing, Heath care and domestic violence services in the uk. I'm not sure how they hinder recover tbh. 
Needle exchange clinics provide clean equipment for those not ready to stop but a way to help people come round to accessing treatment. They are often only a small part of treatment service in the uk.

Answer

If it wasn't for methadone I would not of got off of herion. I was on the methadone for alot of year though but least I could live a normal life not being ill and wondering where I'm going to get my next hit from. I'm in England and there are hardly any rehab places and the few what are here it's very hard for a normal person to get into. Iv been clean from all opiates for a long time now and I'm convinced that's through getting put on methadone

Answer

The best way for an addict to get off drugs is to stop cold turkey, and get help through programs and N/A or A/A. 
Methadone is supposed to help the withdrawals but when they try to get off methadone they will still have withdrawals. 
It's literally pointless just the pharmaceutical companies making money. 
So no I don't think methadone really helps the addict just buys them time from having to face the horrible withdrawals.

Answer

It completely depends on the person. 
I know a few people who were put on it. All of them still abuse drugs because they have no intention of stopping.

Answer

Idk my cousin was put on methadone & then got hooked on it. She ended up pregnant while on it & it resulted in complications with the baby. 
I think it really just depends on the person.

Answer

I have never heard of someone starting drugs by going straight to methadone. It depends on the addict and if they really want to get better and beat the addiction. Some people trade the drug for the "cure" and gwt hooked on methadone instead.

Answer

Methadone is designed as a crutch to help opiate addicts get safely off street or prescription drugs. The addict is then safely weaned off methadone, unless deemed appropriate to remain on a low dose long term. It only becomes a problem when its abused, just like every medication on earth.
Sincerely, A member of NA

Answer

I work in a pharmacy and we are the only pharmacy in town that dispenses buprenophine containing medications. This means medications such as subutex, suboxone, zubsolve, and so on. These are the main medications used in my area to treat addiction to opiod drugs such as heroine, percocet, norco, morphine, and yes methadone. Methadone is no longer the preferred medication in our area because the very nature of it is that it is an opiate and it is addictive. They use the buprenophine because it is. close enough to attach to the day receptors in the brain (prevents withdrawl symptoms) and because drugs like Suboxone also contain naloxone that prevent the patient from being able to feel a high from it. 
I haven't worked pharmacy long, only about 3 years but I have only had 2 patients come off of it in that time. The one pharmacist I work worth has been in pharmacy for 20+ years and he has only seen 3 patients actually come off of it. A lot of our patients are at a stagnant dose, they aren't increasing, but they aren't decreasing either. Some of them weren't addicted to illegal drugs, just prescription pain killers. Some of them were straight up heroine junkies. We see some of them do better and become productive members of society. We see some of them who are in and out of jail on possession charges, and trafficking charges. It really just depends on the person and if they really want to change their life, or if they just wanted to avoid a jail sentence. 
I am a much bigger fan of the vivatrol shot. It blocks the receptors in the brain so even if they were to use opiates they wouldn't get high.

Answer

Methadone is to help people get off of drugs. Some might need it for a month, some might need it for a couple years, but the end goal is to wean off. The people who stay on it with no intentions of stopping are abusing it.

Does methadone help addicts or just create new ones legally?

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