Agonist maintenance treatment is a big fancy way to say “methadone program.” Designed for those who use heroin, methadone is a synthetic opiate, meaning it was created in the lab for the express purpose of mimicking the effects of drugs like heroin and morphine. Methadone is the “agonist” part of the equation. The “maintenance” is the daily ritual of going down to the methadone clinic or drug rehab center—the only places legally allowed to give out methadone for drug addiction—to get your dose.

Sound tedious? It is. At first, it’s a lifesaver: no more needles, no more hustling to stay well, no more dealing with connections. There are definitely a lot of pros to agonist maintenance or methadone maintenance programs. But as you get used to a life without the struggle of sickness and withdrawal symptoms, it begins to wear on you, that daily trip to the clinic and the constant check-ins with counselors. You soon realize that there is a whole world out there and that your time is better spent going to work, sleeping in or going out to breakfast with friends or family. And then there’s the fact that methadone tears up your liver, makes you tired and just in general, wears you down. The cons of methadone are many.

If you’re looking for a way to end your drug addiction with an outpatient treatment program and thought that methadone was your only way out, it’s not true! A new law has made it possible to treat drug addiction with a take-home pill prescription that will help you be free of clinics and head toward a drug-free life.

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"Pros and Cons of Antagonist Maintenance Treatment" posted in Addiction Recovery, Drug Rehab, Methadone, Outpatient Rehabilitation, Outpatient treatment.
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