LAAM Withdrawal

Levomethadyl-also known as Levo-Alpha Acetyl Methadol or, more simply, LAAM-is a narcotic analgesic prescribed to opiate addicts who are ready to stop using needles and illegal street drugs but aren't quite ready for a drug-free life. An apt treatment for opiate addiction, LAAM is not a permanent fix. LAAM addiction is in itself a dangerous health problem that requires treatment. Try to quit taking the drug without the benefit of medical supervision and you'll find that the LAAM withdrawal symptoms associated with the disease can be overwhelming, to say the least.

What is a LAAM Withdrawal?

Opiates like LAAM work by attaching themselves to the opiate receptors in the brain, nervous system and spinal cord and blocking your experience of pain. Your body comes to depend on a steady supply of LAAM and stops producing its natural pain fighting chemicals. When you stop taking LAAM, your body revolts and you become extremely ill. The effect of withdrawal begins soon after you miss your last dose and begins with just a handful of symptoms, building to a painful crescendo within 72 hours. Most people find the effects debilitating and are unable to get out of bed except when necessary due to vomiting and diarrhea. These withdrawal symptoms occur with any opiate detox.

What are the Symptoms of a LAAM Withdrawal?

Withdrawal symptoms and their intensity vary according to the dose of LAAM that you are at when you stop taking the drug and the length of time that you have been addicted to opiates. Beginning with seemingly innocuous systems like a runny nose, dilated pupils, and a fever, the symptoms soon increase to include irritability and agitation, nausea and vomiting, stomach cramps, muscle and bone pain, insomnia and involuntary leg twitching. It is a phenomena that overtakes your body and mind, making you feel mentally dull and unable to concentrate, severely fatigued but unable to sleep.

It is possible, however, to go through a LAAM detox and not experience these symptoms. To do this, you must undergo a medical detox like the one provided by Meditox.

What are the Treatment Options for LAAM Withdrawal?

In order to treat the symptoms of a LAAM withdrawal, you have only to treat your LAAM addiction. Because LAAM is in itself a treatment for addiction to using opiates of a more dangerous and inconsistent nature, your focus should be on breaking your physical dependence on the drug. A medical detox that makes use of an FDA-approved drug called Suboxone, a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone, allows you to break that dependence in the privacy of your own home. Unlike LAAM and methadone, other opiate addiction treatment drugs, you don't have to come in to a clinic each day to get your dose of Suboxone. Instead, it is provided to you in pill form in 2 milligram or 8 milligram strengths as a sublingual tab that you allow to dissolve under your tongue.

How Does Meditox Treat LAAM Withdrawal?

Meditox utilizes the Suboxone medical detox to treat you on an outpatient basis for LAAM addiction. Truly an outpatient program, we require only one in-person meeting at the commencement of your treatment. You undergo an evaluation and we determine whether or not a Suboxone detox is a good fit for your circumstance and, if it is, develop your personalized treatment plan. We don't require you to meet with us or check in unless you would like to. There are no educational classes or meetings or therapy requirements though we will help you locate local resources to that effect if you like. You are free to continue going to work each day and undergo your detox in complete anonymity.

If you think that Meditox might work for you, contact our calling center today for more information or to make an 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

Office-Based Treatment for Opioid Dependence: Reaching New Patient Populations with LAAM
Opioids.com: Levo-Alpha Acetyl Methadol

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"Today is week #5! I have my life back, this morning my husband told me he hadn't seen me like this in three years! My daughter told me "your back Mom"! My Fybromyalgia is down to 2 to 3 percent of what it was, I am fully able to live with the Joy and Love and Laughter which has always been my way."

Mother, Real Estate Agent, 49
August 11, 2006

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