Why is methadone used to treat heroin addiction when it’s also an opiate just like heroin?

Question by aisha t: Why is methadone used to treat heroin addiction when it’s also an opiate just like heroin?
Wouldn’t this be like fighting fire with fire? I don’t get it. Please enlighten me.

Best answer:

Answer by ahtziri s
Methadone is used to treat heroin addiction because it has been proven to be safe and effective. When methadone is properly prescribed, it is not intoxicating or sedating. Its effects also do not interfere with normal activities. Methadone is taken orally and prevents withdrawal symptoms for 24 to 36 hours. Most noteworthy would be the fact that when methadone is taken, it relieves the individual’s craving for heroin, the craving that happens to be the cause for relapse. Methadone is also medically safe, so people could still use it even for ten years straight. Coupled with therapy and counseling, methadone can help bring people back to their stable, productive lives.

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