LAAM Detox

Levo-Alpha Acetyl Methadol or Levomethadyl, more commonly called LAAM, is an opiate addiction treatment similar to methadone. Highly regulated, this medication must be administered in a clinic setting that is devoted to the treatment of addiction. Used for both detox and maintenance, LAAM is highly addictive. It is not recommended that you simply stop taking the drug at any time. Your body will go into detox within four to six hours of your last dose and the withdrawal symptoms are devastating.

What is a LAAM Addiction Detox?

A LAAM addiction detox is defined by the withdrawal symptoms that accompany it. You'll first notice a headache and runny nose, a mild irritability and unusual sweating. Within a few hours, these symptoms will increase in severity and you will find yourself a victim of a slew of other symptoms including nausea and vomiting, cold sweats, clammy skin, muscle aches, stomach cramps, involuntary leg twitches, bone pain, insomnia and extreme fatigue. Similar to the worst flu imaginable, an unaided detox off of any opiate prescription drug, LAAM included, is something to be avoided at all costs.

How Do I Avoid Withdrawal Symptoms During a LAAM Addiction Detox?

The best way to avoid withdrawal symptoms during a LAAM addiction detox is to allow a professional to guide you through a medical detox. Chances are, however, that if you have built a career for yourself or have a family to take care of, then an inpatient detox is not a feasible option. Rather, you need a medical detox that is available on an outpatient basis, which will allow you to keep up with your responsibilities while providing you with the help that you need. Meditox can give you exactly that with a personalized Suboxone detox.

What is a Suboxone LAAM Addiction Detox?

Suboxone is a prescription medication approved by the FDA for outpatient opiate addiction treatment. It comes in two different strengths-2 milligrams and 8 milligrams-both sublingual pills that you allow to dissolve under your tongue. Its active ingredient is buprenorphine, a partial agonist that binds to the same opiate receptors to which the full agonist LAAM usually binds. This allows your body to continue as if LAAM were still present in the system and lets you immediately stop taking LAAM with minimal withdrawal symptoms. Naloxone, the other ingredient in Suboxone, is a deterrent against abuse. Should you try to abuse the pill by dissolving it in water and injecting it, you will go into immediate withdrawal. When you take Suboxone as directed, the naloxone has no effect.

Suboxone is the only opiate drug addiction treatment that can be prescribed out of doctor's office. LAAM and methadone, two other opiate addiction treatments, must be prescribed and administered in a clinic setting. Few have the privilege of taking a month's supply of the drug home and self-administering it daily. Rather, most are required to come into the clinic every morning. Meditox can help you get away from the clinic setting and head home to begin a normal life that isn't dictated by drug addiction.

How Can Meditox Help Me With a LAAM Addiction Detox?

Meditox has one mission: to treat your addiction to LAAM by providing you with a Suboxone detox. Simply choose the Meditox center closest to your home and come in for one appointment. During that appointment, you will undergo a thorough evaluation to see if Suboxone is a viable option for you and your particular circumstance. If it is, then your Meditox doctor will help you come up with a timeline for your treatment and a schedule for slowing decreasing your Suboxone dose. At the end of the day, you leave our center with this plan and your prescription, free to implement your LAAM detox in the comfort of your own home.

If you'd like to get started, call Meditox today and make your appointment.

If you feel that Meditox might be the right solution for you or your loved one, please call us for a toll-free and private consultation:

Additional Resources

Drug Enforcement Agency Briefs & Background: LAAM
Breakthrough Addiction Recovery: LAAM

All Detox Programs

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Mother, Real Estate Agent, 49
August 11, 2006

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