Methadone has been used in the heroin treatment programs in Maine since the last three decades and even now it is a very popularly used medication.

But this medication is never provided for an outpatient drug addiction treatment programs in Maine. This is because of several reasons pertaining to the very nature o methadone as a treating substance.

The fact is methadone is an opioid just like heroin is. When a person is put on methadone treatment, what actually happens is that the heroin addiction of the person gets converted into a craving for methadone. Due to the presence of methadone, the person does not get the urge of heroin that strongly. Over time, the person’s need for heroin diminishes, and successively the amount of methadone can also be reduced. Finally, the medication can be slowly completely eliminated. It must be noted that it is much easier to stop a usage of methadone than stopping heroin addiction.

But then there are various problems due to which methadone treatment has to be done under strict medical supervision. This is actually the norm for heroin addiction help in Maine. Methadone can interfere with other drugs in a lethal manner. An excess dosage of methadone can cause the person to feel very uncomfortable and in some people, this could become a cause for death even. Moreover, methadone cannot be stopped just like that. The dosage needs to be gradually diminished. If the treatment is changed over to another drug, even then special care is needed. For all these reasons, it becomes highly important to use methadone under strict medical supervision.