What is Methadone?

Methadone is a synthetic opioid and a Schedule II controlled drug that is commonly used to treat opiate addiction and as an analgesic. Methadone is available in tablets, dispersible tablets (dissolvable in water or juice), liquid, liquid concentrate, and an injectable solution. The drug is used to treat opiate addiction because if taken once a day can suppress opiate cravings for 24 to 36 hours. Methadone is also commonly prescribed as a narcotic analgesic to treat chronic pain. When used other than as prescribed however, especially in combination with other drugs, the effects of methadone are similar to those caused by heroin and other opiate abuse.

Legitimate and illicit methadone users may develop tolerance for and dependence on methadone. Tolerance and dependence usually develop after repeat doses. Tolerance occurs during the first few days or weeks of use, depending on dosage. Respiratory depression, sedation, and nausea are typically experienced within approximately 5-7 days after the start of treatment. Similar to other opioids, methadone causes severe constipation and other undesirable side effects. Avoiding opiate and methadone withdrawal becomes paramount to these side effects however, and the individual will typically continue methadone use despite them.

While the effects of Methadone are less powerful than heroin, the drug offers a similar, less intense, absence of pain combined with euphoric qualities. The effects of methadone can include a sense of well being, feeling warm, content, drowsy, and untroubled. The pupils of the eye become smaller, body temperature drops, and blood pressure and pulse rate slow, effects which are common to most opiate drugs.

It is unfortunate that many individuals go from being addicted to heroin to being addicted to methadone. Methadone "treatment" can continue for years, as individuals who take part in this type of treatment program fear the methadone withdrawal that will occur when they stop. Unlike heroin or other opiate withdrawal which can last for 3-10 days, methadone withdrawal can be significantly more prolonged and intense, lasting for several weeks or longer. At high methadone maintenance treatment doses, sudden cessation of the drug can result in withdrawal symptoms described as "the worst withdrawal imaginable".

Drugs like heroin and crack work quickly, but the effects don't last long. However, methadone works very slowly, taking hours to reach the full effect. This can become dangerous for individuals who abuse the drug illicitly, because an individual can overdose on methadone without ever feeling high. Everyone handles methadone differently, and one individual's dose might kill another person. Or, an individual could take a small dose at one point and take more later, trying to get high, completely oblivious to the fact that an overdose can happen many hours later. Serious problems can also occur when an individual takes methadone in conjunction with other drugs or alcohol, trying to get high. When abused in this way, because methadone acts slowly and lasts a long time, the individual might fall asleep, overdose and die. Most methadone overdoses occur when an individual has taken a dose that has been illicitly diverted, also known as "street methadone".