Over Dosage, Dependence, And Treatment For Methadone Misuse

Methadone is a drug that is used to treat opiate addiction and chronic pain. It is an opioid receptor agonist, which means it activates the receptor in the same way that morphine and heroin do. Methadone is generally safe when used as directed and under the guidance of a physician. Methadone is harmful if misused since it lingers in the bloodstream for a long time and has a high risk of overdosing. Overdose deaths involving methadone increased faster than those involving other opioid painkillers or heroin from 1999 to 2006. According to statistics from a 13-state research, methadone was also involved in 30% of opioid-related deaths in 2010 and 40% of single-drug opioid-related deaths.

Misuse of Methadone

Medicine abuse is defined as using a medication for a purpose other than that for which it was prescribed, or taking it in higher dosages than recommended. Misuse is the first step on the road to losing control and developing OUD

Methadone is no exception to the rule that any opioid can be abused. If it's being used to "get high," relax, or sleep, for example. Up to a third of patients who are prescribed opioids for chronic pain abuse them, 10% acquire an opioid use disorder, and 6% of those who develop an opioid use disorder go on to use heroin.

Misuse of methadone, as well as its most dangerous side effect, overdose, is on the rise.

Other opioid-related deaths climbed from 2,757 to over 7,035, between 1999 and 2006. Methadone-related deaths climbed from 786 to 5,416, a substantially larger increase. According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, the number of methadone overdose deaths climbed from 26 in 2000 to 103 in 2008. In a San Diego medical examiner study, methadone was responsible for 46 of the 254 total deaths due to unintentional prescription (18.1%); 100 percent of this methadone was prescribed by primary care specialists, highlighting the high risk of overdose when used for chronic pain rather than OUD treatment.

Methadone Abuse and Its Consequences

Methadone abuse is especially harmful because of its extended half-life, which makes it easy to overdose. It also has a significant risk of interfering with other medications such as antibiotics, antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and other sedatives.

Overdosage on Methadone

Since the 1990s, overdose deaths involving any prescription opioid have been on the rise. In 2020, the number of opioid overdose deaths in the United States was nearly double that of motor vehicle fatalities.

Methadone was the most common substance found in single-drug overdose patients in the San Diego sample, demonstrating its particularly high level of hazard. When patients take benzodiazepines and drink alcohol at the same time, there is a greater risk of serious side effects including overdose. Sedation, respiratory suppression, and, ultimately, death are all risks associated with this combination.

Unfortunately, benzodiazepines are commonly used by patients on methadone for OUD.

Because they are both processed by the same enzymes in the liver, methadone interacts with a wide range of antidepressants, antibiotics, and other medications, changing blood levels

When people misuse methadone, they may have an unforeseen interaction that results in high methadone blood levels and an accidental overdose.

Methadone Addiction

People who overuse methadone, as with any narcotic, risk losing control and developing cravings and tolerance. They will most likely experience withdrawal symptoms if they stop taking methadone, or they will continue to use it despite the fact that it is extremely harmful and has bad repercussions.

These are some of the hallmarks of opioid use disorder (OUD), often known as addiction or dependence.

The start of a use disorder, like any other abusable drug, can be subtle. If a person is taking methadone for chronic pain, they may begin by taking one or two additional doses each day to improve pain control. This may cause patients to run out of their medication too soon, resulting in withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Month after month, this process repeats itself until their use spirals out of control.

Getting Methadone Addiction Treatment

Admitting that you have an opioid use disorder and seeking treatment for it is the first step toward recovery. Participating in 12-step groups and group and individual treatment can be beneficial.

Medication for Addiction Treatment (MAT) is, however, the cornerstone of OUD treatment.

When compared to psychosocial treatment alone, MAT dramatically reduces OUD mortality. For the treatment of OUD, three types of medications are used:

• Methadone

• Buprenorphine

• Naltrexone

Methadone prevents opioid-related deaths and helps people reclaim their lives when it is provided according to OTPs' standardized protocols, which generally include daily supervised doses at regulated clinicsAs a result, if methadone is administered in a controlled, tightly monitored manner, it can help people recover from their own substance abuse problems.Suboxone, a buprenorphine-containing medicine, is another excellent alternative that is safer than methadone in terms of overdose risk. Buprenorphine is more widely available since more doctors can prescribe it, and patients don't have to go to a clinic every day for monitored dose
Buprenorphine may require several days of methadone abstinence before it is safe to begin, which might make initiation difficult.
Naltrexone or Vivitrol, an opioid blocker with virtually little danger of overdose, is a third choice. However, because it blocks opioid receptors, it is more difficult to start than buprenorphine.If an individual has opioids in their system, naltrexone can cause a painful withdrawal crisis. If someone has methadone use disorder, they must be opioid-free for 7 to 10 days before starting naltrexone, which is a lengthy time if cravings are severe. ethadone use disorder, they must be opioid-free for 7 to 10 days before starting naltrexone, which is a lengthy time if cravings are severe.