|
Methadone Addiction Drug
Rehab
German scientists synthesized methadone during
World War II because of a shortage of morphine. Although chemically unlike
morphine or heroin, methadone produces many of the same effects.
Introduced into the United States in 1947 as an analgesic (Dolophinel),
it is primarily used today for the treatment of narcotic addiction. It is
available in oral solutions, tablets, and injectable Schedule II formulations,
and is almost as effective when administered orally as it is by injection.
Methadone's effects can last up to 24 hours, thereby permitting once-a-day oral
administration in heroin detoxification and maintenance programs. High-dose
methadone can block the effects of heroin, thereby discouraging the continued
use of heroin by addicts under treatment with methadone. Chronic administration
of methadone results in the development of tolerance and dependence.
The withdrawal syndrome develops more slowly and is less severe but
more prolonged than that associated with heroin withdrawal.
Ironically,
methadone used to control narcotic addiction is frequently encountered on the
illicit market and has been associated with a number of overdose deaths. |
Home
Copyright © National
Drug Rehab Referral Alliance, All Rights Reserved |