Methadone vs. Heroin

Heroin is an illegal opiate drug that is derived from morphine. It is extremely addictive as it is fast-acting and produces powerful euphoric effects, and is also the most abused opiate in the world. When someone uses heroin, the initial feeling they experience is a rush or euphoria. The user will often nod in and out of consciousness and their arms and legs will begin to feel very heavy. Individuals will experience diminished mental capacity and dulled emotions. The effects of this drug typically last 3 to 4 hours from the time of the user's last dose. When the effects wear off, and if the individual does not seek out and use more of the drug, they will begin to experience the symptoms of heroin withdrawal. These symptoms can be quite punishing and may last up to 10 days, and this is why so many individuals who get caught up in heroin addiction find it almost impossible to quit on their own.

Methadone is a synthetic opioid narcotic drug that is used legally to treat addiction to opiate drugs such as heroin and to relieve severe pain, often in individuals who have cancer or terminal illnesses. When used to treat opiate addiction, methadone suppresses opiate withdrawal symptoms for 24 to 36 hours. It is used in "methadone maintenance" programs, and individuals who are prescribed methadone for treatment of heroin addiction take the drug once a day.

Methadone and heroin bind to the same places in the brain, and because it is an opiate, methadone may also lead to dependence and addiction. In high doses or in combination with other drugs or alcohol, methadone can produce some of the same effects of heroin and other opiates. As a result, some users abuse the drug in an attempt to experience a methadone "high". Methadone is also sought out by illicit drug users in an attempt to get high, even if they are not part of a legitimate methadone maintenance program.

Like heroin and other opiates, if an user has developed a physical dependence to the drug and they stop taking it or decrease their dose they will begin to experience methadone withdrawal. As opposed to other opiate withdrawal, such as heroin withdrawal which can last a week to 10 days, methadone withdrawal can last up to 5 or 6 weeks and can be significantly more intense. Past heroin users describe the horrors of heroin addiction withdrawal as being far less painful and difficult than methadone withdrawal.

Approximately 20% of individuals that participate in methadone maintenance programs continue their methadone treatment for more than 10 years. Most heroin addicts who participate in a methadone maintenance program eventually return to heroin use. So it is really a matter of individuals going from being addicted to heroin to being addicted to methadone, then continuing with this "treatment" for many years, and most likely relapsing back into opiate use. The more effective solution is to undergo a drug-free detox at a drug rehab facility, where they can follow that up with behavioral therapy and a long-term treatment curriculum which can resolve their addiction to all drugs.