What Is Methadone? | Uses, Side Effects, Abuse, & Addiction

Opioids play an important role in modern healthcare, helping to relieve severe pain and chronic pain in medical contexts.

However, opioids are also one of the most widely abused classes of drugs, with both prescription and illicit opioid abuse linked to vast numbers of overdose deaths and other long-term health hazards.

Methadone, marketed under the brand names Dolophine and Methadose, is an unusually long-acting synthetic opioid that’s FDA-approved to treat both opioid addiction and chronic pain.

Methadone, however, is also sometimes abused with a high-risk for producing methadone dependence and addiction in those who misuse it.

Methadone Abuse

Methadone is produced in different forms, including tablets, wafers, oral solutions, and injectable liquids. Each of these products may be misused or diverted for non-medical use by different people for different reasons.

Common reason include:

• to produce a euphoric high, most often by those who are not already tolerant to opioids or who don’t have access to other illicit opioids or opioid medications
• to self-medicate against physical or psychological pain
• to self-treat opioid withdrawal symptoms outside of a treatment program

On the street, methadone goes by a variety of street names including fizzies, amidone, chocolate chip cookies, dolls, done, mud, wafer, and others.

Methadone, like most prescription opioids, is classified by the FDA/DEA as a Schedule II controlled substance with a high risk for abuse and the development of physical or psychological dependence/addiction.

Effects Of Methadone Abuse & Addiction

While methadone is unusual in several ways, methadone abuse can expose a person to the same risks as any abuse of any other opioid/opiate drug.

Side Effects Of Methadone

Methadone abuse may cause certain common side effects including constipation, dry mouth, sweating, drowsiness, dizziness, sexual/reproductive dysfunction, itching, and others.

Less common but severe side effects or adverse reactions may also occur.

Methadone Dependence/Tolerance

Prolonged use of methadone can lead to physical dependence and tolerance. This means that a person will tend to need to take a higher and higher dose of methadone to produce the same effects over time, and discontinuing methadone may produce withdrawal symptoms.

Methadone Withdrawal Symptoms

Methadone withdrawal symptoms commonly include prolonged anxiety, insomnia, nausea, vomiting, intestinal issues, muscle aches, runny nose, watery eyes, fever, chills, tremors, mood changes, and drug cravings.

Methadone Overdose

While methadone is known for blunting the effects of other opioids, it is also a very potent drug in its own right and can produce dangerous or even lethal overdose effects.

This is especially true when the drug is combined with other central nervous system depressants, including alcohol, benzodiazepines, muscle relaxants, anesthetics, and sleeping pills.

Signs and symptoms of methadone overdose include:

• respiratory depression (gasping, gurgling, slow breathing, shallow breathing, or interrupted breathing which can be life-threatening)
• blue-colored fingernails or lips
• cold clammy skin
• constricted/pinpoint pupils
• confusion
• dizziness
• drowsiness/sedation
• constipation
• nausea and vomiting
• abdominal discomfort
• weak or uneven pulse
• coma
• death

The opioid-reversal drug naloxone (Narcan) can be used to rapidly but temporarily treat methadone overdose symptoms. Narcan is widely available to the public without a prescription.

Mental Health Problems

Abuse of opioid pain medications is strongly associated with mental health issues including anxiety, depression, mood swings, suicidal thoughts, and problems with memory and decision-making.

These issues can also strongly influence a person’s relationships, ambitions, energy level, and overall life satisfaction.

All this is in addition to the potential development of methadone addiction (a form of substance use disorder) and chronic, compulsive methadone abuse.

Signs Of Methadone Abuse & Addiction

Some possible signs that a person is addicted to or abusing methadone include:

• taking larger or more frequent methadone doses than prescribed
• taking methadone without a prescription
• taking methadone in unusual ways (injecting, snorting, etc.) or with other substances to increase its effect
• experiencing withdrawal effects and cravings when the drug isn’t on-hand
• experiencing problems in work, school, home, or social settings because of methadone abuse
  lying, stealing, or engaging in other drug-seeking behaviors

Treating Methadone Addiction

Whether a person started taking the drug as part of a methadone treatment program, or they began to abuse methadone recreationally, methadone addiction treatment begins with a personalized treatment plan developed and overseen by a qualified treatment provider.

MAT With Buprenorphine

In some cases, a person may be switched from methadone maintenance treatment to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) using the partial opioid-agonist medication buprenorphine.

This is another prescription drug used to treat opioid use disorder, with a lower potential for abuse.

Medical Detox & Other Treatment Services

Additionally, opioid dependence or addiction will need to be treated using medical detox services followed by other forms of recovery treatment including counseling and behavioral therapy.

Dual-diagnosis therapy may also be offered for those experiencing both a substance use disorder and co-occurring mental health disorders like anxiety disorders, major depression, PTSD, personality disorders, and others.

If you or your loved one struggle with methadone abuse or addiction, or any other form of substance use disorder, we are ready to help. Please reach out to our professional staff today to learn more.