Methadone’s effects
Methadone is a synthetic opioid, developed first time in Germany in 1937, used medically as an analgesic, antitussive and a maintenance anti-addictive for use in patients on opioids. Although chemically unlike morphine or heroin, methadone also acts on the opioid receptors and thus produces many of the same effects. Methadone is also used in managing chronic pain owing to its long duration of action and very low cost.
There are many similar products on the market, such as Symoron, Dolophine, Amidone, Methadose, Physeptone, Heptadon, Phy and many others. Methadone is useful in the treatment of opioid dependence. It has cross-tolerance with other opioids including heroin and morphine and a long duration of effect: oral doses of methadone can stabilise patients by mitigating opioid withdrawal syndrome.
Higher doses of methadone can block the euphoric effects of heroin, morphine, and similar drugs. As a result, properly dosed methadone patients can reduce or stop altogether their use of these substances. Methadone is approved for different indications in different countries. Common is approval as an analgesic and approval for the treatment of opioid dependence. It is not intended to reduce the use of non-narcotic drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine, or alcohol.
Today a number of pharmaceutical companies produce and distribute methadone. The racemic hydrochloride is the only form available in most countries, such as the Netherlands, Belgium, France and in the United States as of March 2008. The tartrate and other salts of the laevorotary form (levomethadone (an NMDA-Antagonist with mild agonism at the Mu-receptor), with trade names like Polamidone, Heptadon etc.) are available in Europe and elsewhere.
These are possibly more potent and lack the cardiac effects like lengthened QT interval caused by the dextrorotary form. The major producer remains Mallinckrodt, who sells bulk methadone to most of the producers of generic preparations, and also distributes its own brand name product in the form of tablets, dispersible tablets and oral concentrate under the name Methadose in the United States.
We strongly recommend to everyone reading this article to use methadone only with doctor’s prescription and under medical control, however, if you or someone close to you have problems with methadone addiction, we suggest you to visit DrugRehabServices.com.
