Methadone is a long-acting opioid medication that is used to reduce withdrawal symptoms in people addicted to heroin or other narcotic drugs,You can buy methadone online and it can also be used as a pain reliever.  When methadone is used for Opioid Use Disorder it reduces withdrawal symptoms and drug cravings, but does not cause the “high” associated with the drug addiction. Methadone is highly regulated medication and when used for OUD is only available through approved opioid treatment programs  that involves regular monitoring, counseling, and drug testing to make sure that patients are making progress in their recovery.

When methadone is used for pain it should only be used for pain that is severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock, long-term opioid treatment when no other treatment options have helped adequately. This medicine is not for use on an as-needed basis for pain.

Methadone works by activating the opioid receptors in the brain and nervous system, it is usually taken orally as a liquid or tablet.

Treatment of opioid-dependent persons with methadone follows one of two routes: maintenance or withdrawal management. Methadone maintenance therapy usually takes place in outpatient settings. It is usually prescribed as a single daily dose medication for those who wish to abstain from illicit opioid use. Treatment models for MMT differ. It is not uncommon for treatment recipients to be administered methadone in a specialized clinic, where they are observed for around 15–20 minutes post-dosing, to reduce the risk of diversion of medication.

The duration of methadone treatment programs ranges from a few months to years. Given opioid dependence is characteristically a chronic relapsing/remitting disorder, MMT may be lifelong. The length of time a person remains in treatment depends on a number of factors. While starting doses may be adjusted based on the amount of opioids reportedly used, most clinical guidelines suggest doses start low and are incremented gradually. It has been found that doses of 40 mg per day were sufficient to help control the withdrawal symptoms but not enough to curb the cravings for the drug. Doses of 80 to 100 mg per day have shown higher rates of success in patients and less illicit heroin use during the maintenance therapy However, higher doses do put a patient more at risk for overdose than a moderately low dose