Methadone maintenance is a type of treatment for clients in Yale who are dependent on heroin or prescription pain killers. This form of treatment has been around for a very long time, and the overall concept is that clients are no longer engaged in the drug abusing activities that was brought on by their addiction due to the methadone they are taking satisfies cravings and prevents withdrawal. Similar to heroin, methadone is a full opioid agonist and activates the same receptors in the brain as heroin. This is what makes methadone so successful as a substitute for heroin and prescription pain killers.
People enrolled in methadone maintenance therapy must take it on a daily basis to avoid withdrawal symptoms from the methadone itself. This may be logistically and financially challenging, but some people feel it is a better option than a heroin addiction. However, someone beginning methadone maintenance should realize that methadone detoxification is known to be far more challenging than even heroin detox and withdrawal. Once taking a moderate dosage of methadone, there are some detoxification programs that won't even accept methadone maintenance clients considering detox can be very difficult and relapse rates are very high.