Thursday, June 14, 2007
Methadone is a synthetic narcotic used for more than 30 years to treat opiate addiction. Here are some other facts associated with the drug:
Taken orally once per day, it suppresses narcotic withdrawal for between 24 and 36 hours. It is only effective in cases of addiction to heroin, morphine and other opiates and is not effective treatment for addictions to other drugs .
Withdrawal from methadone is much slower than that of heroin. As a result, it is possible to maintain an addiction to methadone without harsh side effects. Many patients require continuous treatment, sometimes over a period of years.
Methadone is also used to treat chronic pain.
In 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a public health advisory about methadone because of reports of death and life-threatening side effects in patients. It can cause slow or shallow breathing and dangerous changes in heartbeat that may not be felt by the patient.
Worldwide, there has been an explosion of deaths related to methadone. Relatives of those who have died report that many had consumed low doses of methadone. Six percent of people carry a gene that makes such a life-threatening side effect likely.
Source: Office of National Drug Control Policy