Substance Abuse Program Aims to Destigmatize Methadone Use

SAVANNAH, Ga. - July 9, 2018 - PRLog -- A program offered by the Savannah Treatment Center has been assisting more than 150 people who have been struggling with opioid use disorders.

The addiction specialists in the program stated that several misconceptions are associated with the use of methadone in opioid addiction treatment but that the substance, which is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has been extremely regulated in the last decades.

However, a Yale University study published last year revealed that more than 120 safety threats had been linked to 32 percent of the 222 pharmaceutical substances that had been approved by the FDA from 2001 to 2010.

Additional research led by the same Yale team also found that the FDA reviews and approves therapies faster than similar regulatory agencies from other countries.

The use of methadone in opioid addiction treatment has been criticized by a number of international healthcare authorities because of the side effects that are associated with the substance.

According to the latest data released by the World Health Organization (WHO), there are several countries that do not make methadone available for the treatment of an opioid addiction including Russia and Chile.

By 2014, 50 percent of 152 countries that provided data about methadone to the WHO had the pharmacotherapy available for maintenance treatment of opioid use disorders. And 45 percent of 147 nations reported having methadone available for patients going through opioid detox treatment.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, some of the side effects linked to methadone include increased heartbeat, hallucinations, chest pains and respiratory difficulties.

The team at the Savannah Treatment Center stated that methadone is one of the main elements of opioid addiction treatment programs in the U.S. and highlighted that it should always be used with the appropriate medical supervision and psychological support.

https://www.drugaddictionnow.com/2018/07/09/savannah-drug...