Methadone Rehabilitation

Question by anonymous: What do you think? I know someone who was taking 180 mg of methadone while pregnant.?
She and her boyfriend are both taking methadone. Together they have two children now. She had a baby and has had several complications since giving birth. She flat lined several times. She and the baby both have serious heart conditions.
I’m afraid that once she is better she will continue to “dose” and continue to act like everything was fine, like before. But, sadly everyone knows when they are “medicated” and if you hint that she is, she gets mad and upset that her little facade is not working.
How does one get off taking methadone? Cause, it seems to me all it is, is a legal drug dealer!!!!!! It’s an easy, quick fix to an addicted person who wants to get high!!! Why don’t “doctors” see this? Have these “doctors” really become that obsessed with the all mighty dollar? To risk an INNOCENT BABY with withdrawals at birth and future health problems all because the MOTHERS withdrawal symptoms are so BAD she could miscarry???????

Best answer:

Answer by Aimee
I know of someone who was on methadone for both her children and they are happy and very healthy. This girl got pregnant while very addicted to drugs and sought help to get clean for her daugter. 7 years later is is still clean and now completely off methadone.
You just don’t stop taking it, they ease you off. And if you don’t have experience with people who have addictions then don’t judge. Their life isn’t easy and even when they chose to become clean everyday is a challenge.

Answer by Nikki
Your view of methadone treatment is, unfortunately, a common one among outsiders, but there are many factors to consider. It sounds like you are already aware that detoxing off methadone while pregnant can risk the baby’s well-being, so are you asking for advice on how your friend can quit after her baby is delivered or would you want her to miscarry?

A patient needs to want to get clean for him/herself, not because they feel pressured by family or friends. I work as a patient advocate and I have honestly NEVER seen anyone who was forced to quit methadone successfully stay clean for more than a year. Once a person has the will and desire to get quit the only good way to go about it is to be patiently weaned off while also getting the counseling and support needed to work out the underlying issues. This can take time, but rushing things only makes it worse. When a detox is rushed the patient will feel severe withdrawal symptoms that often lead to a failed detox or to relapse into their past addiction. On the other hand, a slow and evenly paced detox can be done so that the patient doesn’t experience any real symptoms until they actually quit taking the methadone completely. At that point I either recommend a six week course of Suboxone to allow the methadone to be completely out of the system, or for the patient to take some time off work while going through the final stage of detoxing. When a person has already reached a low and stable dose of methadone the withdrawals are usually bearable, and they are certainly MUCH less severe than if a person quits cold turkey, but it still isn’t easy.
The biggest argument against methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is the fact that it is so difficult to get off, but quitting any opioid is tough and the relapse rates are depressingly high.
MMT gives addicts a chance to quit not only the drugs but the negative behavior that often goes along with addiction. It prevents people from committing crimes, big or small, to support their habits. It takes away the danger of taking substances of unknown origin without any monitoring by a doctor. Methadone clinics do frequent drug screens to ensure that their patients aren’t using other drugs and they provide mandatory counseling. So while they are providing people with a substitute drug to treat the physical dependency, they help their patients avoid the most dangerous aspects of addiction.
You ask why the doctors don’t realize that they are being used as legal drug dealers. The answer is that of course they are aware that some of their patients have no desire to get clean and only use the treatment as a back-up fix, but that doesn’t stop them from providing the real patients with the care they need. Just like any doctor working in an ER is well aware that out of all the patients he/she treats, a certain percentage are just looking for drugs, but he still continues to treat them all.
You also wrote:

“To risk an INNOCENT BABY with withdrawals at birth and future health problems all because the MOTHERS withdrawal symptoms are so BAD she could miscarry???????”

You are concerned that a baby born to a mother on methadone will suffer withdrawals at birth – which is treated in the hospital – but it doesn’t worry you that withdrawals could cause a pregnant woman to miscarry? And where have you found evidence of the future health problems you mention? I am sorry to hear that your friend’s child has serious health conditions but I doubt that they were caused by his/her mother’s treatment.
I have seen countless babies born to methadone patients and they are all growing up healthy, although some were kept in the hospital an extra 2-4 days while they were treated for dependency. Unfortunately I have also known several woman who miscarried or gave premature birth to stillborn babies because they were forced to detox off methadone.
Also, you said that your friend gets upset when you mention to her that she is medicated, so why don’t you simply stop mentioning it? Methadone treatment is a medical treatment like any other, and she doesn’t have to justify her choice to you or anyone else. Would you be bringing it up in the same way if she were on insulin for diabetes or valtrex for herpes? Try to imagine how you would feel if people were constantly commenting on your own medical problems and treatments.