Massachusetts methadone drug rehabs are needed more than ever before, as physicians throughout the state are increasingly prescribing methadone in order to treat their patients who suffer with chronic or severe pain. Methadone is a synthetic (man-made) opiate that is often used legally in Massachusetts, but has also become a widely available diverted prescription drug that is being used for recreational purposes; street names for methadone may vary, but some of the most popular names for this drug are wafer, methadose, dollies, fizzies, linctus, and mixture. Although this powerful opiate was once used primarily at Methadone Maintenance Clinics for the replacement of heroin, today it is being liberally prescribed by medical clinicians throughout Massachusetts for the treatment of back pain, joint injuries and a wide host of other types of chronic pain.

Massachusetts methadone drug rehab centers have reported a dramatic increase in the number of individuals that are seeking treatment for methadone addiction. Because methadone is a cheap and long lasting, powerful pain reliever, health insurance companies are increasingly favoring the use of this drug; thus giving health practitioners license to prescribe this synthetic form of opium, to their patients in Massachusetts that are suffering with severe or chronic pain.

Many people in Massachusetts that have taken methadone as prescribed for legitimate reasons, have run into serious problems with this powerful opiate, including death; thus, the government has currently begun to sponsor voluntary classes that teach doctors about the precautions that they should take in the process of prescribing methadone to their patients. An individual from Massachusetts that is taking methadone should always be made aware of the drug's side effects, which encompass a wide range of symptoms that may include constipation, drowsiness, dry mouth, lightheadedness, slowed breathing, and weakness; additional side effects of this powerful opioid that are not as common can include palpitations, nausea, vomiting, muscle twitching, and disorientation.

The reason that Massachusetts methadone drug rehab facilities have seen such a dramatic rise in the number of individual's that are seeking treatment for methadone addiction problems, is primarily due to the growing abuse of powerful opiates such as OxyContin, which is a powerful prescription opiate, that has recently become more difficult to obtain; as this highly addictive drug becomes harder and harder to come by, many Oxycontin addicts are turning to methadone, in order to avoid painful opiate withdrawal symptoms. Many people in Massachusetts who use methadone wish to entertain the illusion that the drug is helping them to finally be able to break free of their opiate addiction, when nothing could be further from the truth; as methadone, itself, is a drug that is reported to be highly addictive.

Critics of methadone in Massachusetts are of the opinion that this highly addictive drug does not offer any benefits in relation to helping to treat the underlying root causes of an opiate addiction; these ardent critics believe that the use of the drug just turns former opiate addicts into methadone addicts. Signs that an individual from Massachusetts may be developing an addiction to methadone can include taking more than the recommended dose of the drug and lying to medical personnel so that a higher dosage of the drug will be prescribed. When an individual has become addicted to this potent opiate, they should be admitted to a Massachusetts methadone drug rehabilitation program for immediate treatment.

There are inpatient and outpatient Massachusetts methadone drug rehab programs, and knowing which type of treatment is best for the person that is struggling with a methadone addiction is vitally important. At an inpatient Massachusetts methadone drug rehab center, the person can reside within the safe harbor of the treatment center, away from the environment in which they previously used the potent drug. While attending a Massachusetts inpatient methadone drug treatment center, the individual that is in treatment will have access to around the clock professional support. In an outpatient methadone drug rehab facility, the person from Massachusetts that is receiving drug recovery treatment can reside in their own home as they attend activities that are assigned to them during various time intervals throughout the course of the week.

When a person enters a Massachusetts methadone drug rehab facility, the first and most important step in treatment is the drug detoxification process. Methadone has been reported to be among one of the hardest drugs to be able to detox from, as the effects of this powerful synthetic opiate are long lasting and the drug is readily stored within the body's fatty tissues. The methadone detoxification process will address the physical dependence of the addiction.

An individual at a Massachusetts methadone drug rehab center who is in going through detox, will begin to experience painful and often debilitating withdrawal symptoms; although these initial methadone withdrawal symptoms are reported to be milder than those that are associated with a heroin detox, actually "kicking" the methadone habit is reported to be harder, as it is a much more drawn out process and can often be much more painful. Because an individual's blood pressure and heart rate have the potential to increase dramatically as they are withdrawing from methadone, it is highly recommended that a person that is going through the methadone detox process, does so under the watchful eye of the detox staff at a Massachusetts methadone drug treatment program .

After an individual has completed the methadone detox process, they will truly be able to embrace all of the other elements of the Massachusetts methadone drug rehab center. The next step at a methadone drug rehabilitation center is generally some form of behavioral counseling, which will help the person to be able to finally be able to determine why they began to use drugs in the first place; additionally, an adequate level of aftercare support should be provided. A quality Massachusetts methadone drug rehab facility can help a person to finally break free from their methadone addiction.