Methadone

Methadone for the treatment of opiate dependence is given as a thick syrup mixture so it cannot be abused by injection. It is often green in colour.

Desired Effects:

To inhibit opiate withdrawal symptoms, relieve pain and enable people dependent of street opioids to gain stability in their lives.

Side Effects:

• Light-headedness
• Dizziness
• Sweating
• Dry mouth
• Nausea and vomiting
• Drowsiness.

• Methadone is prescribed as a substitute to street heroin when users have become dependent. It is used to reduce from opiates and helps to stabilise a person’s lifestyle.
• Taking methadone orally at the dosage it has been prescribed is the safest way to take it.
• If you take methadone with other substances, especially alcohol, heroin, and benzos, it greatly increases the risk of overdose.
• Getting additional treatment, support, and mutual aid to tackle other aspects of your dependence will increase the chances of making changes to your life and improving your recovery.
• If you suspect someone has overdosed, put them in the recovery position and call for emergency help immediately.

Always carry Naloxone. Naloxone is a short acting opiate antagonist that reverses the effects of an overdose from opiates like methadone - Naloxone Save Lives.

Long term risks:

Dependence, withdrawal symptoms.

Short term risks:

• Tolerance, dependence.
• Overdose which can be fatal.

People prescribed methadone for opioid dependence are less likely to die from overdose than those not in opioid treatment. However, it is common for people taking methadone to use other drugs on top. There were 676 deaths involving methadone in England and Wales in 2024. Opioids medicines like methadone are particularly dangerous for non-opioid dependent people to use.

Central nervous system depressant, analgesic.

Class A under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

For treatment of opioid dependence, methadone is taken orally. The thick syrup cannot be injected or smoked. It is often given under supervision where the act of swallowing it is observed (called Supervised Consumption).

Brown medicine bottles for mixture and linctus; syringes, ampoules, tourniquet etc if injected.

Methadone mixture is used in the management of opiate - mainly heroin - dependence. Methadone linctus is used as a cough suppressant in terminally ill patients and occasionally in injectable form (Physeptone) for severe pain.

On prescription from a specialist doctor in a drug dependency clinic or diverted from either.

Methadone is widely used in drug substitution programmes offered by drug dependency clinics and sometimes by GPs. Users are also seen by drug counselling agencies and may attend needle exchange schemes despite being on drugs designed to be taken orally. If Methadone becomes an addiction in itself 'street agencies' or projects sometimes called community drug services or community drug teams, offer a range of services including information and advice, counselling, detoxification and prescribing for opiate / opioid users, support groups and other services such as acupuncture. Some may have extended opening hours and may be open at weekends. GPs and hospitals can make referrals to specialist drug services like Drug Dependency Units (DDUs). These are usually located in or adjacent to a hospital and specialise in helping problem drug users, especially people who are dependent on opiate / opioid drugs. They provide counselling, detoxification, substitute prescribing and other treatments. Residential services offer treatment programmes for heavily dependent drug users who are trying to give up. Residents must usually be drug free on admission which means they usually have to undergo detoxification before entry. Programmes usually last 3-6 months, but some 12 steps programmes last longer. The types of programmes vary. Self help groups like Narcotics Anonymous (NA) co-ordinate local support groups for problem drug users around the country. Families Anonymous run similar groups for the families of drug users.

Parents & other relatives

Many drug agencies also provide lots of advice and support to parents, family members and partners of people using drugs. They may provide relative support groups or advice, guidance and counselling on a one to one basis.