Methadone Overdose Deaths on the Rise
Methadone prescriptions are on the rise and so too is the commonality of methadone overdose and death, according to the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC). There are two reasons that methadone is prescribed: pain management and opiate drug addiction maintenance. It was rarely used for either purpose until the early ‘80s when it was more commonly prescribed as a drug addiction treatment and OxyContin, its chemical cousin, was the prescription of choice for pain management. This quickly changed: the latest report from the NDIC says that methadone prescriptions have increased 715 percent in five years.
The reasons for this astronomical shift are two: cost (of course) and the alarming rise in OxyContin overdose and death. To handle the extra demand, manufacturers are shipping 6.6 million grams of methadone each year, up from 1.9 million five years earlier. Unfortunately, methadone stays in the body for more than 24 hours which can lead to overdose very easily if dosing is not closely monitored.
A Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report shows a 390 percent increase in methadone overdose fatalities over a five year period. Though the number of deaths from methadone overdose is smaller than that of other opiate painkiller overdose deaths, its rate of increase is significantly higher. Morphine, OxyContin and Vicodin overdose deaths have increased 90 percent over a five year period.
Tom Riley is the spokesman for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. According to Riley, prescription painkillers are more popular than marijuana for first-time users and those who experiment with drugs on a casual basis. He says, “The larger story is the widespread abuse of prescription painkillers in America. The abuse and misuse of prescription drugs is far more dangerous and far more widespread than most Americans realize.”
High OxyContin abuse is most common in West Virginia, Kentucky and North Carolina, but methadone abuse and overdose is quickly taking its place in those states and Ohio, Louisiana, New Hampshire, Florida, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Wisconsin.
How do we handle this epidemic? Suboxone detox and Suboxone treatment. As easy to procure as an opiate painkiller, a prescription for Suboxone is far less harmful and will allow you to avoid withdrawal symptoms as you break your drug addiction. Meditox handles each request for a buprenorphine (Suboxone) prescription on a case by case basis, but those who are addicted to opioid-based drugs like OxyContin, methadone, Vicodin and morphine will benefit from a Suboxone treatment.
If you like this post subscribe to the feed
March 5th, 2008 at 1:20 am
Back when i was taking all prescription painkillers I took the suboxone and it didn’t even come close to ’something that could ‘help’ me quite suboxone took away my withdraws so i wouldn’t be so very sick but it was not something that i could stick with to get me off the pills.Methadone was deffentely my way to go.Once i stop the methadone i will never touch another painpill.And if i was on the suboxone i think my outcome would be totally different.
March 8th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
There are constantly new medical treatments in development because there are different kinds of addictions and reasons for using which makes different treatments viable options for different people. I’m so glad that you found one that worked for you! Methadone works and has worked for so many people and it will continue to be an incredibly effective tool for those who are ready to treat their addiction. However, for many, Suboxone is either just as good or better for a number of different reasons: the regulatory differences, the cost, the anonymity…. There are a number of reasons why someone would be better off with methadone than Suboxone or Suboxone than methadone. It’s all about personal choice and individual circumstance. Again, congratulations on finding the right treatment for you!