Why methadone

[seal!]

why do doctors use methadone on heroin addicts, its more addictive, and can kill you. but it doesnt give you the high. i dont understand why the use it.

[woofgang]

As I understand it, it doesn't give the high but saves you from the cold turkey

[kaktus]

Maybe there is some sort of lesser evil here? The Methadone is legal heroin isn't. Lots of drug addicts commit some sort of crime to get money for their drugs and they are committing a crime when they buy it. So I guess there is some sort of logic in giving out methadone as you hopefully are preventing some illegal activities, you can control the dose better and when you have these poor souls in the system maybe you can help them in other ways.

But I don't know and maybe what you're asking is one of the reasons, that doctors are talking about giving out heroin on prescription, at least they are in Denmark is that an on going debate in the UK too?

[AllYourBase]

Its used becasue the dose can be titrated (ie measured) accurately to provide a consistent effect., and then reduced over time until the client no longer requires treatment.

It can also be given orally, whereas there are problems in doing so with heroin, as it tends to have to be injected, which creates problems with shared needles and equipment and also more used needles being in circulation.

Methadone gets a bad press, but much of the bad rep is propagated by heroin users who enjoy the rapid intense hit of intravenous heroin and would rather never change or be weaned off.

It is also cheaper to use, less easily stolen from addicts and can be supervised at the point of administration at the chemist without difficulty, to prevent leakage onto the black market.

[AllYourBase]

Yes kaktus, that debate is also ongoing here too, and the prescribing has begun in many parts of the UK. However, medicinal heroin is in short supply at the moment and is often prioritised for those in terminal intractable pain.

[tartufo]

because its a safer option, its not mixed with rubbish ie unknown powders, its measurable and as mentioned before taken orally so there is less risk of blood borne infections, and can be used in pregnancy.

[missmooncat]

Yeah when methadone is prescribed it is not meant to get you high but to stop you feeling ill.It can also be prescribed in injectable ampoules,and so can diamorphine.I think the idea like someone said is to stop people commiting crime to get drugs.And it can be prescribed in exact amounts,some people use it to come off heroin by weaning them selves of meth, reducing how many mls they have slowly.Methadone is supposedly a worse withdrawal than heroin.

[missmooncat]

seal! Methadone does give you a high too,a better one than heroin and lasts longer.

[missmooncat]

Injectable ampoules of diamorphine (pure heroin) are being prescribed,they have been for a while.

[seal!]

missmooncat you're wrong, it doesn't give you a high. i have a friend who was addicted to smak for a few years, who has also had math. i think he should know.

[missmooncat]

seal! i should know too,im taking meth on prescription now.It does give you a high if you have enough,especially injectable amps.You also develop a tolerance to it very quickly,your friend is probably just taking the right amount to stop him being ill(which is right).I bet if he had more he`d feel the effects.