May 29, 2010 Program

[admin]

Ex-heroin addict Larry DuBois is going to be on the show with me. On this broadcast both of us are going to talk about the pros and cons of methadone being used to treat opiate addicts. Some of the topics we will cover are:

What drugs fall into the category of opiates?
What is methadone and why is it used as a treatment for those who are addicted to opiates?
Is methadone effective in treating those who are addicted to opiates?
Is methadone being used to treat opiate drug users or is it just a drug replacing another drug?
What are 'carries' in regards to methadone? What are the pros and cons in regards to carries.
What is it like to quit methadone?
Are there other options for those who are addicted to opiates?

To listen to a podcast of the show, go to http://www.thereishoperadio.org/archives/

[admin]

I believe the show was very informative, yet interesting in regards to methadone treatment. I tried to bring balance in regards to the topic even though it is obvvious that I am not very supportive of methadone treatment. However, I will acknowledge that for some methadone may be a better option than using heroin or another drug.

The real key to me in regards to methadone treatment is whether a person is using methadone to get off heroin and ultimately methadone or are they just switching habits-methadone is addicive.

One thing we did not cover is the use of methadone as treatment for chronic pain. That would be an interesting topic.

I sure hope some will share on this forum their own experiences with methadone.