Opioid Addiction Treatment Center in Akron, OH

Methadone is a medication used as part of a comprehensive Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) program. Methadone is an FDA-approved, highly studied and regulated medication used to help individuals recover from opioid addiction. Decades of research shows methadone to be highly effective in treating patients by stopping withdrawal symptoms and cravings.

Methadone acts as a stabilizer in the body rather than as an opioid drug that is used for its euphoric effects. When taken as prescribed, methadone helps patients function physically, emotionally and intellectually without impairment. Methadone does not produce mood swings, drowsiness or narcotic effects. By contrast, painkillers and heroin destabilize individuals and lead them to many risk behaviors that have severe consequences.

Approved for clinical use since 2002, both buprenorphine and Suboxone are medications used as part of a comprehensive treatment plan that includes counseling and participation in social support programs. At the appropriate levels, both buprenorphine and Suboxone are safe and effective. Both have several benefits including lowering the potential for misuse, and suppressing opioid withdrawal and craving symptoms. Studies indicate that buprenorphine is equally as effective as lower doses of methadone, however, it is not as effective for patients with higher levels of physical dependency where methadone is a better option to reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

Counseling is the key to achieving long-lasting success. It helps patients understand the nature of addiction as a disease, the effects of the disease on the brain and their behaviors. Through counseling, individuals explore why they became addicted, what triggers are associated with addiction and ways to establish resilient plans that will make improvements across all areas of their lives.

Counselors in individual, group and family settings, help patients learn how to better cope with stress, handle setbacks and loss and find new ways of improving. Patients reap better results for enduring success when they dedicate the appropriate amount of time to counseling in addition to Medication-Assisted Treatment.