Opioid addiction<unk>  is used for the treatment of opioid use disorder. It may be used as maintenance therapy or in shorter periods for detoxification to manage opioid withdrawal symptoms. Its use for the treatment of addiction is usually strictly regulated. In the US, outpatient treatment programs must be certified by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and registered by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in order to prescribe<unk>  for opioid addiction. A 2009 Cochrane review found<unk>  was effective in retaining people in treatment and in the reduction or cessation of heroin use as measured by self-report and urine/hair analysis but did not affect criminal activity or risk of death. Treatment of opioid-dependent persons with<unk>  follows one of two routes: maintenance or detoxification.<unk>  maintenance therapy (MMT) usually takes place in outpatient settings. It is usually prescribed as a single daily dose medication for those who wish to abstain from illicit opioid use. Treatment models for MMT differ. It is not uncommon for treatment recipients to be administered<unk>  in a specialist clinic, where they are observed for around 15–20 minutes post-dosing, to reduce the risk of diversion of medication. The duration of<unk>  treatment programs range from a few months to years. Given opioid dependence is characteristically a chronic relapsing/remitting disorder, MMT may be lifelong. The length of time a person remains in treatment depends on a number of factors. While starting doses may be adjusted based on the amount of opioids reportedly used, most clinical guidelines suggest doses start low (e.g. at doses not exceeding 40 mg daily) and are incremented gradually. It has been found that doses of 40 mg per day were sufficient to help control the withdrawal symptoms but not enough to curb the cravings for the drug. Doses of 80 to 100 mg per day have shown higher rates of success in patients and less illicit heroin use during the maintenance therapy.However, higher doses do put a patient more at risk for overdose than a moderately low dose (e.g. 20 mg/day).<unk>  maintenance has been shown to reduce the transmission of bloodborne viruses associated with opioid injection, such as hepatitis B and C, and/or HIV. The principal goals of<unk>  maintenance are to relieve opioid cravings, suppress the abstinence syndrome, and block the euphoric effects associated with opioids. Chronic<unk>  dosing will eventually lead to neuroadaptation, characterised by a syndrome of tolerance and withdrawal (dependence). However, when used correctly in treatment, maintenance therapy has been found to be medically safe, non-sedating, and can provide a slow recovery from opioid addiction.<unk>  has been widely used for pregnant women addicted to opioids. Pain<unk>  is used as an analgesic in chronic pain, often in rotation with other opioids. Due to its activity at the NMDA receptor, it may be more effective against neuropathic pain; for the same reason, tolerance to the analgesic effects may be less than that of other opioids.
Methadone
Isomethadone
Normethadone
Levomethadone
Morphine
Buprenorphine
Codeine
Naltrexone