Massachusetts detox centers for methadone addiction are practical and effective solutions to help methadone users safely withdraw. Methadone is a synthetic opioid prescribed to treat pain and or treat opiate addiction. Per the Centers for Disease Control, methadone represents one percent of all pain medication prescribed in the United States. Additionally, methadone is responsible for 23% or all prescription opioid deaths. The sustained and long-term use of methadone does lead to dependence, tolerance, and addiction. Methadone acts on the same opioid receptors as morphine and heroin. Moreover, methadone causes the same euphoric effects as heroin despite blocking the effects of heroin and other opiates. Countless opiate addicts choose methadone to manage their addiction, but then struggle to stop taking it.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, in the first six months of 2019, there were 611 opioid-related overdoses. In 2016 there were 2,064 total opioid-related overdose deaths, which then decreased slightly to 2,054 in 2017 and then again to 2032 in 2018. Between 2016 and 2018 it was an estimated 4% decline in the number of opioid-related overdose deaths. Among the 445 opioid-related deaths in 2019, approximately 92% of them had a positive screen result for fentanyl. In the first quarter of 2019, heroin or likely heroin was present in roughly 30% of opioid-related overdose deaths. Cocaine was present in 39% of fatalities, and benzodiazepine was present in 41% of these deaths. Amphetamines were present in 4% of deaths; the presence of amphetamines has been increasing since 2017 to roughly 8% of all opioid-related deaths in the state.
When struggling with dependence on methadone, withdrawal management is essential. Medically supervised detox mitigates the withdrawal symptoms making it safe for someone to stop using methadone. Medication-assisted treatment operates the same way and is a specific method of detox commonly used to help alcoholics or opiate addicts. However, detox alone does not sustain long-lasting recovery and sobriety. Following detox, counseling and therapy are essential within outpatient or inpatient drug treatment centers.
