Since you are here it means that you want to know more about what is methadone. Methadone is a synthetic substance derived from the opiates. It was synthesized by American scientists. At first, methadone was used as a powerful analgesic in medicine, as the effect of methadone lasts from 24 hours to 72 hours.

Methadone has Analgesic and sedative effects, ie, it slows down the functions and processes of the body, as well as when taking heroin, but methadone’s effect is much stronger and the drug euphoria itself is much weaker. There is also a myth that methadone was developed on the orders of Adolf Hitler (the original name of the drug was Dolphin), although to date, accurate evidence that Hitler was involved with Methadone’s creation is not verified. Later, in the 60′s, methadone began to be used as a method of “drug addiction treatment”. The idea was developed by American scientists and lay in the fact that a person dependent on heroin could use methadone as a safer replacement. Because Methadone is legal when prescribed by a doctor, the idea is that it would reduce the level of harm and crimes motivated by drug addiction and the illegal drug trade.

The effects of  methadone in a person’s body lasts around a day or 2 and regular dosing is required to prevent withdrawal. Withdrawal and abstinence from Methadone can take as long as 10-15 days and is an addiction in itself that should be taken very seriously. Full recovery from heroin addiction does not take as long as Methadone, lasting up to a week. But when a person is ready to stop taking Methadone, a person can safely stop this drug if the dose is tapered down very slowly and with the help of a health care provider. Withdrawal effects can be minimal this way. Some people continue to use a very small dose of Methadone for many years as “maintenance therapy”.

Methadone is still a very controversial drug and it can be very dangerous. Some users continue to use both Methadone and Heroin at the same time. Methadone also has “street value”, which means sometimes people sell their dose on the street. This creates the danger of Methadone getting into the hands of the wrong people. Overdose is very possible with Methadone. Some people view Methadone as just another addiction, replacing the addiction of Heroin. Thus, many countries started to abandon the use of methadone. Currently in the United States, methadone is a Schedule II narcotic drugs, ie methadone is strictly for medical purposes as prescribed. Storage and use is prohibited without a doctor’s prescription. Many people on the Methadone treatment program are expected to go to the pharmacy every day and get their dose witnessed. In Russia, methadone is banned – Schedule I drugs. Also on the territory of Russia prohibited the holding of any kind was “metodonovyh program” – it is not legal.

What is methadone, well there are some facts about it, but there are also divergent opinions on whether it is a useful drug for addiction therapy, on whether it is a form of “harm reduction”, or whether it is simply another dangerous drug replacing another dangerous drug. What do you think? This site will continue to explore this controversy.