Methadone maintenance is a method of treatment for people in York who are dependent and addicted to heroin or prescription pain killers. This method of treatment has been in existence for a very long time, and the general concept is that individuals are no longer involved in the drug abusing behavior that was driven by their addiction since the methadone they are taking satisfies cravings and prevents withdrawal. Similar to heroin, methadone is a full opioid agonist which 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.
Clients involved in methadone maintenance must dose on a daily basis to avoid withdrawal symptoms from the methadone itself. This might be financially and logistically burdensome, but some people find it a better choice than a heroin addiction. Nevertheless, someone starting on methadone maintenance ought to know that methadone detox is known to be far more challenging than even heroin detoxification and withdrawal. Once on a moderate dosage of methadone, there are some detoxification programs that will not take methadone maintenance clients considering detoxification can be very difficult and rates of relapse are very high.