North Wales Substance Misuse Forum website. Methadone |
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Drug |
Methadone |
Common Name |
methadone, methadone mixture, meth, linctus, physeptone |
Description |
The methadone that's prescribed to people trying to come off heroin is usually a syrup which is swallowed. Some types of methadone come in tablet or injectable form. |
Routes of use |
Injestion, injected |
Effects Required |
Opiates are sedative drugs that depress the nervous system. They slow down body functioning and stop physical and psychological pain. The effect is usually to give a feeling of warmth, relaxation and detachment. Methadone stops people feeling anxious. |
Other Effects |
People taking opiates for the first time can be sick, but these unpleasant reactions fade with time. With high doses the sedation takes over and users feel sleepy. Too much and you can fall into a coma or stop breathing completely. Many women don't have periods when they use opiates regularly. If they cut down or stop the periods may return. There's a good chance of getting pregnant during this time if you don't use contraception. There's no evidence that opiates cause birth defects, although they may possibly increase the risk of miscarriage and still births and opiate users may give birth to smaller babies. It's not a good idea to stop using opiates suddenly if you're pregnant as this can cause premature labour and miscarriage. If you do feel drowsy do not attempt to drive. Your driving licence is invalid on methadone unless agreed by the DVLA with medical advice. |
Dependence and Tolerance |
Opiates are highly addictive see Heroin. Methadone doesn't deliver the same degree of buzz or high like heroin. It allows people to tackle their psychological addiction and stabilize their lifestyle when used as a substitute for heroin in treatment it stops withdrawal symptoms. Then the dose can be reduced slowly until that user is off the drug completely. When used to come off heroin there are still problems with withdrawal but there are much less severe than 'cold turkey' that occurs when stopping heroin. |
Legality |
Morphine, opium, methadone, pethadine and Diconal are Class A drugs. Codeine and dihyrocodeine (DF118) are Class B drugs. Temgesic and Distalgesic are Class C drugs. |
