Deadly Mechanism of Methadone
In 2004, more than 3800 people died from methadone overdose in the United States, according to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Every year since, overdoses due to methadone have continued to increase by about 20 percent. Once the gold standard in drug addiction treatment, methadone has quickly become one of the most commonly abused prescription opiates on the black market and by legal prescription for chronic pain.
What makes methadone so deadly? For one thing, it takes awhile to work and stays in the body for days after its effects are no longer noticeable. Within 24 hours the effects of methadone have worn off but for up to four days, the drug will remain in the body. This means that less is needed to keep withdrawal symptoms and pain at bay but the person using the drug may not realize and take more than necessary, resulting in an overdose.
Those who take methadone for drug addiction may be chasing the euphoria the typically comes on about four to six hours after dosing. Those who take the drug for pain management may begin to experience pain too quickly after their last dose and take more hoping to ward it off.
But it’s not just the person taking the methadone that can get the dosage wrong. It’s often difficult for doctors to figure out exactly how to prescribe methadone. Denise Curry of the Drug Enforcement Administration says that methadone is “being prescribed more frequently not only by pain specialists who know how to use it, but by general practice physicians, who may not. And with more prescriptions, there’s more methadone in the supply pipeline.”
Over a five-year period, there has been a 390 percent rise in methadone-related deaths, a number which is far higher than that of other prescription painkillers. Though methadone may be far cheaper than other pain medications like OxyContin and Vicodin, it is just as addictive and dangerous.
If you or someone you love is addicted to methadone or another prescription opiate medication, consider taking matters into your own hands and breaking that addiction with a medical detoxification like Suboxone detox and treatment. Rather than entering into a drug addiction rehab facility that requires time and money that you may not have, a Suboxone treatment can be obtained from a doctor as long as he or she is certified to dispense (or prescribe) buprenorphine. Meditox has doctors available to you specifically for this purpose. Call for more information today.
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