- Methadone is an opioid effective in the treatment of addiction to other opioids.
- Methadone is a synthetic long term agonist medication that blocks the activation of your opioid receptors and the effects of opioids.
- Methadone can treat addiction and cravings because it lasts a long time in the body and produces little to no euphoria for people with opioid addiction.
- Methadone is effective in treating pain associated with opioid withdrawal.
- Better tolerated, improved retention patients are more likely to remain on medication for longer periods. Reduced relapse, transmission of HIV, Hepatitis C, improved outcomes in pregnancy, improved overall quality of life.
Only licensed Narcotics Treatment Program nurses can dispense under the direction and monitoring of a licensed physician.
Side Effects: This medication is an opioid and shares many similar side effects including constipation, drowsiness, and edema. Severe side effects include risk of seizures, cardiac arrhythmias, shortness of breath, risk of drug interactions. Patients with multiple psychiatric conditions should avoid methadone because it has a high potential for negative interactions with drugs used to treat these conditions. People with a history of heart conditions should also avoid using unless they are monitored regularly by their doctor for abnormal heart rhythms.