About Methadone and Buprenorphine - Drug Policy Alliance

DetoxificationDoctors do not advise that peoplequickly taper off of their dose ofmethadone – but there are, unfortunately,many situations where thisoccurs. For example, a methadonepatient may be in jail or in a hospitalwhere methadone is not prescribed.Or the person may be complying witha demand from family court in orderto be reunited with children who arein foster care. Public policy is slowlychanging, but some methadonepatients are still being forced todetox from their medication.If you are being “administrativelydetoxed” by your methadoneprovider, you should find anotherprovider quickly. If your provideris not helping you find another,contact a harm reduction program,needle exchange, or your state’shealth department for assistance.A directory of state alcohol anddrug abuse agencies can be foundat www.treatment.org/states/index.htmlSome people also use graduallytapering doses of methadone for ashort period of time (three to sevendays) to relieve the initial discomfortof heroin withdrawal. This methodmay be successful for people whohaven’t been dependent on heroinor other opioids for a long time.If you do start using drugs again afteryour detox, you are not a “failure.”Time that you spent away from streetdrugs was a period of reduced risk– risk of arrest, exposure to disease,and overdose. But remember, if yourelapse, the first weeks of use (again)are a time of higher risk of overdose.How it WorksMethadone patients have two options:inpatient and outpatient treatment.With inpatient treatment, the patientis admitted for overnight care to aclinic or hospital. The patient usuallymust spend several days and takemedication to relieve the withdrawalsymptoms. In outpatient detox,medication also provides relief fromwithdrawal symptoms. The medicationis administered during daily clinicvisits over a period of several weeksor longer. Often methadone is used indoses that are gradually reduced.26About Methadone and Buprenorphine