Anonymous May 25, 2011 at 2:01 pm

Comments

1
you obviously don't understand how methadone works
2
Obviously not. It would be cheaper if they replaced the Methadone with carefully administered carbon monoxide anyway.
3
Sheesh. Physicians don't give methadone for maintenance treatment in regular clinics (just for pain management); it's pretty much only done in methadone clinics, and requires a special dispensing license. You may not like the looks of the people in methadone clinics, but the stuff works.

From my favorite reference:
"Methadone maintenance reduces and often eliminates use of nonprescribed opioids [22,23], decreases criminal activity associated with illicit drug use [24], and reduces the spread of HIV [25-27]."

22 - DOLE VP, NYSWANDER M. A MEDICAL TREATMENT FOR DIACETYLMORPHINE (HEROIN) ADDICTION. A CLINICAL TRIAL WITH METHADONE HYDROCHLORIDE. JAMA 1965; 193:646.

23 - Newman RG, Whitehill WB. Double-blind comparison of methadone and placebo maintenance treatments of narcotic addicts in Hong Kong. Lancet 1979; 2:485.

24 -Nurco DN, Ball JC, Shaffer JW, Hanlon TE. The criminality of narcotic addicts. J Nerv Ment Dis 1985; 173:94.

25 - Ball JC, Lange WR, Myers CP, Friedman SR. Reducing the risk of AIDS through methadone maintenance treatment. J Health Soc Behav 1988; 29:214.

26 - Novick DM, Joseph H, Croxson TS, et al. Absence of antibody to human immunodeficiency virus in long-term, socially rehabilitated methadone maintenance patients. Arch Intern Med 1990; 150:97.

27 - Gowing LR, Farrell M, Bornemann R, et al. Brief report: Methadone treatment of injecting opioid users for prevention of HIV infection. J Gen Intern Med 2006; 21:193.
4
There's a lot of abuse of methadone, and some clinics are just scamming and out to make a buck. Methadone doesn't work for every opiate addict. However, some clinics actually DO help addicts to live decent lives. Properly administered methadone prevents a host of health problems that IV drug use can cause or exacerbate, and keeps people from resorting to desperate measures. Opiate addiction and all of the various programs and treatments that address addiction are complicated topics. Since Anon obviously doesn't know a lot about it, s/he should do some research before spouting off.
5
my child's doctor thought it would be a good idea to switch her from vicodin to methadone for pain management. 6.5 years later she is going to the methadone clinic every day. I've begged them repeatedly to lower her dose but they refuse. Her kids are living with me, she is a zombie most of the time, nods out constantly and yesterday i found her passed out in the middle of the floor yet again. her teeth are gone, she is estranged from everyone who loves her and she will die before me. She's never done heroin. I've gone to counseling there with her and met many people going to those places. I'm sure it probably does help some former heroin addicts but why if you are going to a clinic to detox from methadone would they keep you for almost 7 years? Her life is trashed. there are a lot of people going there just like her. you who quotes medical studies missed the point. I fucking HATE that place
6
Anonymous is way off-base when it come to facts, but I still think these places should be burnt to the ground. Especially now that there is suboxone, nobody should be taking methadone today.

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