Methadone is a prescription medication that is used to treat severe pain. It also helps those addicted to heroin to cease their use of the drug without experiencing horrendous withdrawal symptoms. Since heroin causes an excess of dopamine to be released into the brain, addicts feel a constant need for the drug to maintain this high. Methadone satisfies this need for an opiate without the euphoria associated with heroin. While users of methadone are ultimately transferring their dependence from one drug to another, they become more stable and no longer experience urgent impulses to take heroin. Once the desire to take heroin is completely diminished, patients are then weaned off of the methadone, although this process can sometimes take several years to complete.

Effects of Methadone:

Methadone side effects can vary greatly and should be closely monitored. Symptoms that are typical of methadone users include upset stomach, headache, drowsiness, constipation, dry mouth, insomnia, decreased sex drive and excessive sweating. Severe side effects should be reported to your doctor. These methadone side effects include lightheadedness, swelling of extremities, rash, hives, itching, difficulty breathing and chest pain.

A methadone overdose can be very serious. Should someone you know exhibit the symptoms, call 911 or poison control immediately. Warning signs of a methadone overdose include loss of consciousness, coma, difficulty breathing, extremely small pupils, clammy skin and loss of muscle tone.

It should also be noted that methadone has a high interaction ratio with other drugs. For instance, Elavil is the brand name for amitriptyline, a tricyclic antidepressant. Taking both Elavil and methadone can be potentially hazardous. A methadone interaction with Elavil could cause a dangerously high dose of methadone to be released into your system, causing an overdose. Should an overdose not occur, it is still highly likely that once the Elavil exits your system, withdrawal symptoms will be experienced for the high levels of methadone that were previously experienced.

Symptoms of methadone withdrawal include dilated pupils, irritability, stomach pain, fever, sweating, runny nose and eyes and nausea.

Signs of Methadone Addiction:

As with any addiction, someone with a methadone addiction will do whatever it takes to continue taking the drug. Some may make their doctors believe they require a higher dosage of methadone, while others may "double up" on their dosages. Still others may continue to take heroin and use methadone as a "topper" of sorts. Methadone is addictive, and most who begin taking methadone as a means of ceasing an addiction to heroin or another opiate become addicted to the new drug. Tolerance and dependence develops, creating the need for a methadone detox program, which can take much longer to complete than many other rehabilitation programs.

How To Test For Methadone Abuse:

Methadone drug testing is an invaluable resource for many individuals, including employers, parents and government agencies. While methadone does have its legitimate purposes, extremely high doses of the substance can create dangerous side effects and should be monitored. Methadone drug tests come in a variety of forms including urine drug tests, saliva drug tests and hair drug tests. Each of these methods works very well in detecting methadone in an individual's system. For a longer testing window, hair follicle methadone drug testing is the way to go. Results are achieved in a laboratory setting and can detect methadone use for up to the past 90 days.

Employers benefit from methadone drug tests, as they prevent potential drug-related liability claims, accidents and other misfortunes from occurring. Investing in a drug testing program helps to increase employee productivity and maintain the positive image you want for your company.

While methadone is a prescription substance, it can be obtained on the street illegally. Parents who are concerned about their children or teenager's behavior can benefit from methadone drug testing tremendously. Drug test kits put your mind at rest and allow you to either put the question of whether or not drug use is occurring in your house behind you or take the next step in getting your teen drug rehabilitation.

There are many myths and/or justification for taking all mind-altering substances and the use of methamphetamine, (meth, crank, crystal, speed, etc.) certainly has its share.

Probably the most detrimental myth about his drug is the idea that it is not addictive. Users of this drug will equate it to a potent caffeine-type substance, and in some ways they are correct. Methamphetamine and caffeine are both stimulants, but that is were the similarities end. A drug can be addictive at the psychological or physical level or both. However, all psychologically addictive drugs have a physical addictive component as well. The level of addiction is directly related to the amount of discomfort one experiences during abstinence from the drug. Everyone is familiar with the headaches that one can get when they have been drinking coffee on a regular/daily basis and then they abruptly stop.

The body gets accustomed to having coffee as an external stimulus and when that is removed, there is an adjustment that happens physiologically that causes stress. However, when a person uses methamphetamine on a regular/daily basis and stops, you find dramatic effects on the body. It isn't uncommon for a person to sleep for over 48 hours after being on a "meth" run. The over-stimulated glands, especially the adrenals, will under-produce until they can re-establish normal activity again, and in the absence of these hormones, a person is barely able to keep bodily functions alive, so it becomes necessary for a person to sleep for long periods of time while normal equilibrium is being renewed.

Whenever the body is under extreme stress, the person's emotions become unstable. In the case of the cessation of methamphetamine, one experience mild to severe depression, leading to suicidal thoughts. Knowing that one can stop these uncomfortable feelings by the use of more "speed" is the simplicity of this psychological addiction and the reason that most people will need professional care to progress without problems through this recovery.

Metabolism basically means the count of calories you burn per day. Repeatedly you have might read from the articles about accelerating the rate of metabolism. The most common reasons are consuming highly nutritious food and performing workouts. If your metabolism rate is slower, it shows you are burning less of calories. In order to increase the rate, you must follow the below tips:

If your metabolism rate is slower, it shows you are burning less of calories. Remember the above points for a healthy life.