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Methadone for Opioid Addiction Treatment in Kansas City

When addressing an opioid addiction, many people have found success through medication-assisted treatment. These medications manage potentially dangerous and painful withdrawal symptoms while mitigating cravings for the substance. One of the longest-used medications to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) is methadone. 

By undergoing a methadone treatment protocol, a patient can put their full attention and energy on the important aspects of long-term addiction recovery, such as therapy and developing healthy coping skills and life skills. At Empowered Recovery Center in Kansas City, we can design a personalized methadone treatment plan to help you get your life back on track. 

What Is Methadone? 

Methadone is a prescription medication used to treat opioid use disorder (OUD). While methadone is an opioid, it is importantly a long-acting opioid.1 This means that the drug acts as a successful replacement for someone who is addicted to short-acting opioids like heroin, oxycodone, or hydrocodone. By replacing the misused opioid with methadone, the patient doesn’t experience withdrawals.  

Methadone often comes in the form of a powder, so it’s usually mixed with water to create a fruit-flavored drink. This drink is typically taken once a day, as the effects of methadone can last between 24 and 36 hours.1 Methadone can also be produced in the form of a tablet.2 

Methadone is a Schedule II drug, meaning there could be a high potential for abuse.2 For this reason, methadone for opioid use disorder is typically administered by medical staff in certified opioid treatment centers. 

How Does Methadone Work for OUD?  

Methadone is a form of opioid agonist therapy (OAT). OATs help people overcome opioid addictions by creating a level of stabilization in their lives, which is possible because of the slow release nature of methadone. 

When someone misuses an opioid like oxycodone or fentanyl, they experience intense effects of the substance (such as euphoria) within a short period of time. In contrast, methadone uses a much slower distribution. This results in two important differences:

  1. The methadone prevents the patient from experiencing withdrawal symptoms or cravings (because they still have a level of opioid in their system).

  2. Its long-acting effect means the person doesn’t experience the same high they get from short-acting opioids.3 

When their body and mind are regulated, a person can then give their full attention to evidence-based methods to achieve sobriety, including therapy, life skill development classes, and more.

Side Effects of Methadone Treatment 

Like many medications, methadone has the potential to cause side effects. People experience varying levels of symptoms, and some side effects may subside over time. 

For example, when you first begin your methadone regimen, you may feel sleepy or lightheaded.3 However, once your doctor finds the right dose for you, you may experience those side effects lessen or go away completely. 

There are some other side effects a person may experience from taking methadone for OUD. These methadone effects can include:1,2

  • Sweating
  • Itchy skin
  • Fatigue
  • Dry mouth
  • Constipation
  • Nausea 
  • Weight gain
  • Changes in sex drive

Is Methadone Safe to Use? 

Yes, prescribing methadone for opioid use disorder is widely considered to be a safe treatment protocol. Methadone has been used to treat opioid use disorder for over 50 years,4 and a great deal of research has been completed showing its effectiveness. In fact, studies show that methadone can reduce the likelihood of dying from an overdose by up to 50%.5

Methadone for opioid addiction can also be a lifesaving option for pregnant women. If the woman is addicted to heroin or another fast-acting opioid, she may decide that she wants to stop taking it to protect her unborn child. While this seems like a positive choice, suddenly stopping opioid use can result in withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawals can cause the uterus to contract — which can result in birth complications or even a miscarriage.6 

Methadone treatment allows a pregnant woman to manage her addiction while avoiding the dangerous implications from detoxing completely from opioids. Methadone is the favored treatment for many clinicians due to its long history of successfully treating OUD in pregnant women.7 

If methadone isn’t taken as prescribed, there can be risks. If a patient takes other opioids, alcohol, or benzodiazepines while taking methadone, the effects of the methadone may wear off more quickly, causing the person to experience withdrawals.1 Additionally, taking large amounts of methadone or combining drugs can lead to an overdose. 

Methadone treatment for opioid use disorder is typically administered in an addiction treatment program to avoid these risks. 

Methadone vs Buprenorphine 

In opioid agonist therapy, there are two main options for treatment: methadone or buprenorphine.3 While both are effective treatment methods, your doctor will recommend the best treatment course based on your specific needs. 

However, there are some factors that can make methadone for addiction treatment a preferred choice over buprenorphine.

Patients with a high level of dependence

Buprenorphine has a weaker efficacy than methadone. This means that while buprenorphine can be a solid treatment for patients with mild or moderate dependency, methadone is often a more effective solution for people with a high dependence to a short-acting opioid.7

The risk of abusing the maintenance medication

If a physician has concern that a patient may abuse a long-acting opioid, they may choose to prescribe methadone over buprenorphine. Now, the patient must go to an addiction treatment facility to receive the medication, rather than simply taking it at home.

How Long Is Methadone Prescribed For? 

Methadone maintenance treatment is considered to be a long-term treatment, though the length depends on the specific patient. Some people will take methadone for several months, while others will stay on their methadone treatment plan for years. 

Patients are often given their first dose of methadone once they begin experiencing withdrawal symptoms from their short-acting opioid.8 After this, a medical professional will closely monitor their dose, adjusting it depending on the patient’s needs and discomfort levels. 

Once a person adjusts to their methadone protocol, they can focus on other areas of their recovery without dealing with uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. This can include taking part in recovery activities like individual and group therapy, dual diagnosis support, and relapse prevention classes. 

After a period of time, a patient and their medical team may decide that they are in a good place to end their methadone treatment. In this case, the patient’s methadone dose is tapered down over several weeks or months, to minimize the withdrawals they may experience.1

Does Insurance Cover Methadone Treatment?  

Yes, insurance typically covers all or a portion of methadone treatment for opioid addiction. This coverage comes from the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) of 2008, which requires health insurance companies to provide the same level of benefits for substance use treatment that they do for medical and surgical care.9 

While insurance policies will likely cover some of your methadone for addiction treatment, exactly how much will depend on your specific policy. To find out how much your plan would cover, contact your insurance company directly. Alternatively, our admissions team is more than happy to verify your benefits and find out the details of your coverage. 

Opioid Addiction Treatment in Kansas City 

Methadone maintenance therapy can make all the difference in your journey to overcoming your opioid addiction. However, achieving long-term sobriety requires a combination of services that help you heal the physical, emotional, and mental aspects of yourself. 

At Empowered Recovery Center in Kansas City, we’ll work with you to create a customized treatment plan to address your opioid use disorder. This begins by choosing the treatment program that works best for you and your lifestyle, whether that’s a partial hospitalization program (PHP), an intensive outpatient program (IOP), or standard outpatient rehab. 

Once you begin your treatment program, you’ll be immersed in various therapies to address the underlying factors that have been driving your addiction. From one-on-one counseling to group therapy, our experienced team will use a variety of therapy modalities to help you uncover — and overcome — the root causes of your addiction. 

Your road to recovery starts by giving us a call or filling out our contact form. When you do, you’ll be contacted by our admissions team, who can verify your insurance benefits, explain what our admissions process entails, and answer any questions you have about our methadone program. 

Contact us today or verify your benefits online to get started on the path to recovery. 

References 

  1. Methadone. (n.d.). CAMH. Retrieved April 30, from https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-illness-and-addiction-index/methadone
  2. Methadone. Retrieved May 1, from https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/Methadone-2020.pdf
  3. What is opioid agonist therapy? (2016). CAMH. Retrieved April 30, from  https://www.camh.ca/-/media/files/oat-info-for-clients.pdf
  4. Medications for opioid use disorder. (2025, March 27). National Institute on Drug Abuse. Retrieved May 1, from https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/medications-opioid-use-disorder#methadone
  5. Methadone is an effective treatment for opioid use disorder, so why aren’t more patients using it? (2023, September 27). Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Retrieved May 1, from https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2023/barriers-to-methadone-access
  6. What is methadone? (n.d.). Psychiatric Research Institute. Retrieved April 30, from https://psychiatry.uams.edu/clinical-care/outpatient-care/cast/what-is-methadone/
  7. Whelan, P. J., & Remski, K. (2012). Buprenorphine vs methadone treatment: A review of evidence in both developed and developing worlds. Journal of Neurosciences in Rural Practice, 03(01), 45–50. Retrieved May 1, from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3271614/
  8. Methadone dosing. (n.d.). Office of Addiction Services and Supports. Retrieved May 1, from https://oasas.ny.gov/news/methadone-dosing
  9. Division, D. C. (2023b, May 30). Does insurance cover treatment for opioid addiction? HHS.gov. Retrieved May 1, from  https://www.hhs.gov/opioids/treatment/insurance-coverage/index.html

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