About methadone
Methadone: What is it:
Methadone is a synthetic opioid from the narcotic family with potent analgesic effects. It is comparative with morphine.
Methadone: How it evolved:
Used medically as an analgesic and anti-addictive, it was developed in Germany in 1937. It arrived in the United States in 1947.
Methadone: What it costs:
It is much cheaper than other pain relievers, costing about $12 for a month's supply.
Methadone: How it is used:
It comes in pill and wafer form.
Methadone: What it does:
Treats common pain, especially in the back. Methadone also reduces withdrawal symptoms in people addicted to heroin or other narcotic drugs without causing the "high" associated with the drug addiction.
Methadone: How long it lasts:
Taken orally once a day, methadone suppresses narcotic withdrawal for between 24 and 36 hours.
Methadone: Why so addictive:
Although chemically unlike morphine or heroin, methadone also acts on the opioid receptors and thus produces many of the same effects. Many former heroin users have claimed that the horrors of heroin withdrawal were far less painful and difficult than withdrawal from methadone.
Methadone: Dangers:
Last year, the FDA released the following statement: "The FDA has reviewed reports of death and life-threatening side effects such as slowed or stopped breathing, and dangerous changes in heartbeat in patients receiving methadone. These serious side effects may occur because methadone may build up in the body to a toxic level if it is taken too often, if the amount taken is too high, or if it is taken with certain other medicines or supplements. ... Also, methadone if taken for long periods and at large doses can lead to a very long withdrawal period."