This cross-sectional study was conducted in Kerman, Iran, the center of Kerman province as the largest province of Iran. Participants consisted of 35 MMP recruited from outpatient methadone clinic of Shahid Beheshti Hospital, and 35 matched controls without histories of substance abuse recruited from the local community. Due to a higher prevalence of males than females during the sampling period, all the substance abusers, who volunteered for the study, were male. Both groups were matched with respect to age, years of education, and employment status. Methadone maintenance has received little scientific attention regarding neurocognitive effects. This study is aimed to assess the neuropsychological performance of methadone maintenance patients (MMP) compared to those healthy controls.
The Psychological Effects Of Methadone
It can give a similar feeling and keep you from having withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Methadone can be quite useful in helping people step away from the harsh effects of opioid addiction. But when methadone withdrawal a person develops an addiction when treating another, it can seem like an endless cycle where addiction always wins. If you are struggling, or know someone who is and wants to help, don’t hesitate.
What Are The Long-Term Effects Of Methadone?
People who used opioids daily, or on at least 81 of the 90 days, had a 40% higher risk of depression than people who used them only occasionally, or on less than half of the 90 days. The above study didn’t specifically explore opioid use disorder risk, and opioid misuse isn’t the same thing opioid use disorder. Misusing opioids can raise your risk of this mental health condition, it’s true — but you can still develop it when taking opioids exactly as your doctor prescribed. “However, that’s not to say that addiction is solely driven by the amount of pleasure,” said Brian Kiluk, a clinical psychologist and psychiatry professor at Yale School of Medicine, who was not involved with the new study.
- The association between different types of opioids used and these mood symptoms warrants further research.
- Extra-medical opioid use increases the risk of opioid use disorder [15], in addition to the increased prevalence of depression and anxiety in individuals using nonprescription medical opioids [16].
- With this approach, you’ll learn helpful ways to cope with anxiety and practice them under the guidance of a therapist.
More on Substance Abuse and Addiction
- JL, SC-F, and LD are supported by National Health and Medical Research (NHMRC).
- If you do not have a take-back program nearby or one that you can access promptly, flush any methadone tablets or solution that are outdated or no longer needed down the toilet.
- Anxiety and depression can also complicate treatment, so it’s important to get support sooner rather than later.
Monitor for respiratory depression, especially during initiation of methadone hydrochloride tablets or following a dose increase. Phoenix resident Irene Garnett, 44, would welcome more take-home methadone doses. Her clinic now requires her to come in twice a week, even though she’s been a patient there more than 10 years, “which is just bonkers,” she said. With evidence mounting, the U.S. government made the changes permanent early this year. Oct. 2 is the date when clinics must comply with the new rules — unless they’re in a state with more restrictive regulations. Though methadone clinics have been highly effective in helping individuals achieve and sustain recovery, they aren’t free from criticism.
Methadone Clinics Are Less Available in Rural Areas
For instance, the rate of drug abuse has increased 3 times more than the population growth rate in Iran over the past 20 years [4]. Hence, it is important to control addition to opioid among the general population. Heroin, for instance, is expensive and it is difficult to treat its addiction and break its defective cycle, and hence requires a comprehensive treatment system with different approaches of drug therapy, psychotherapy and rehabilitation. Nowadays, the addiction problem is not only a family concern, but is also a sociodemographic challenge.
Associated Data
Quality evaluation
