Heroin Addiction

Question: Why is methadone used for heroin addiction? can a person die if they quit cold turkey?

(Posted by: 40 somethin' on 2008-10-28 19:29:35)

Posted by: Az R on 2008-10-28, 21:24:38

Cold turkey withdrawal from opiates is miserable, but deaths are essentially unheard of. Very, very rare. In fact there's really only one drug that can kill you readily from withdrawal - alcohol. Methadone is used because getting people off heroin is damned near impossible. It's a 'harm avoidance' strategy. Instead of illegal, often contaminated street drugs administered by injection (which is why heroin addicts always die before 40), it's a pill. And one that's rather hard to OD on, and lasts -forever- in the body. Buprenorphine is popular too, because unlike other opiates, it's impossible to OD on (buprenorphine blocks its own effect at high dosages). It's extremely controversial in the medical field - because it's actually harder to get people off methadone than heroin.

Posted by: Dawn R on 2008-10-28, 19:34:14

The withdraws can be horrific. its best to see a dr and have help getting off any kind of drug. drinking is the one believe it or not that has the most deaths by stopping cold turkey.

Posted by: Candy M on 2008-10-28, 19:37:19

Yes if you quit cold turkey you could have a stroke and or a heart attack!! METHADONE is a synthetic drug developed to help people get off heroin!