Do not stop taking methadone without talking to your doctor. Your doctor will probably want to decrease your dose gradually. If you suddenly stop taking methadone, you may experience withdrawal symptoms such as restlessness, teary eyes, runny nose, yawning, sweating, chills, muscle pain, widened pupils (black circles in the middle of the eyes), irritability, anxiety, backache, joint pain, weakness, stomach cramps, difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, nausea, decreased appetite, vomiting, or diarrhea.
Your doctor may change your dose of methadone during your treatment. Your doctor may decrease your dose or tell you to take methadone less often as your treatment continues. If you experience pain during your treatment, your doctor may increase your dose or may prescribe an additional medication to control your pain. Talk to your doctor about how you are feeling during your treatment with methadone. Do not take extra doses of methadone or take doses of methadone earlier than they are scheduled even if you experience pain.
If you are using the dispersible tablets, do not chew or swallow before mixing the tablet in a liquid. If your doctor has told you to take only part of a tablet, break the tablet carefully along the lines that have been scored into it. Place the tablet or piece of the tablet in at least 120 mL (4 ounces) of water, orange juice, Tang®, citrus flavors of Kool-Aid®, or a citrus fruit drink to dissolve. Drink the entire mixture right away. If some tablet residue remains in the cup after you drink the mixture, add a small amount of liquid to the cup and drink it all.
Private clinics are unquestionably more expensive, but there is no denying their advantages. At a private clinic, there is frequently no waiting list, and if there is, it will be brief. Since employees and medical experts are much less likely to be overworked, private clinics also offer noticeably superior treatment.
Methadone clinics come in both public and private varieties. Although public clinics are more affordable, due to a lack of government financing, most patients are placed on a waiting list. With a problem as serious as addiction, waiting days or weeks to start treatment significantly reduces the likelihood that the patient will really return and raises the possibility that they won't receive the necessary care.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) must certify all methadone clinic programmes, and they must also be registered with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). About 1,500 methadone clinics were operating in the United States as of 2018, with the majority of them located in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and California.