Methadone Information

"Methadone was developed by German scientists in the late 1930s. It was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1947 as a painkiller, and by 1950 oral methadone also was used to treat the painful symptoms of persons withdrawing from opioids, usually heroin."

"In 1964, researchers at Rockefeller University, New York... believed that opioid addiction was a "metabolic disease" that altered brain function and made it difficult for patients to remain drug-free. [They]...discovered that an ongoing, daily dose of long-acting oral methadone -- maintenance treatment -- offered a number of beneficial effects allowing otherwise debilitated opioid addicts to function more normally."

"Oral methadone has demonstrated a favorable safety profile when properly prescribed and used. No serious adverse reactions or organ damage have been specifically associated with continued methadone use extending more than 20 years in some patients...Women stabilized on methadone generally have more healthful pregnancies and their newborns do not suffer any lasting adverse consequences. Furthermore, methadone at appropriate dose levels does not hinder a patient's intellectual capacities or abilities to perform work tasks."

MMT Benefits:

• An adequate maintenance dose of methadone does not make the patient feel "high" or drowsy, so the patient can generally carry on a normal life. Daily drug-seeking to "feed a habit" ceases.
• Methadone can be taken once daily by mouth without the use of injection needles, which limits exposure to diseases like hepatitis and HIV.
• Methadone's gradual, long-lasting effects eliminate drug hunger or craving.
• There is little change in tolerance to methadone over time, so it does not take more of the drug to achieve the same results.
• Euphoria-blocking effects of methadone make taking illicit opioids undesirable.
• Used properly, methadone is generally safe and nontoxic, with minimal side effects.