Treatment Strategies in Counseling Methadone Clients Using Benzodiazepines and other Licit and Illicit Substances

Treatment Strategies in Counseling Methadone Clients Using Benzodiazepines and other Licit and Illicit Substances

Summary

Introduction

Methadone is used for reducing withdraw indication and symptoms among people who are addicted to narcotic and other peril drugs (Ball, el, 1988). According to (Mattick, et.al, 2009) methadone is used for Methadone Maintenance which was a program and was first used widely as an opioid replacement therapy to treat heroin dependence, and it remains the best-researched treatment for this problem. Methadone is used for pain treatment by making relevant changes to the way of brain and its nervous system that respond to pain. It is also used as a substitute for opiate drugs of abuse by generating similar effects and preventing the withdrawal indications in people who have stopped using these types of drugs.

Method

Studies have shown that when a person is consuming methadone in an improper manner such as with cold drink, it may cause some serious side effects from its consumption (Darke, & Ross, 2002). Just like other narcotic medications, effects of methadone results in slow breathing even after the pain relieving effects of medicine had been worn off. Use of Methadone can also impair one's thinking and cognitive ability. Most of it's side effects are minor, such as weight loss, constipation, temporary rashes on skin, sweating, water retention and disorders in sleeping and eating patterns.

However, according to the analysis of Johnson et.al, (2000), the synergistic effects of benzodiazepines and methadone are not considered safe as both drugs can interact fatally with each other. They both cause numbness effects on the central nervous system that could lead to complexities in breathing patterns and cognitive impairment. In few cases, the synergistic effect could be deadly as in case of Michael Doe if he does ...