Methadone Overdoses | dailyRx

Methadone can be prescribed safely for cancer-level pain and heroin addiction. When it?s abused it?s responsible for more prescription painkiller overdose deaths than any other opioid.

According to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), abuse of a methadone prescription can be deadly.

Proper monitoring of methadone prescriptions could reduce the risk of death.

Take all unused prescriptions to a local Take-Back site.

According to a new report, released by the CDC, 15,500 people died from prescription painkiller overdoses in 2009 alone. Of those prescription painkiller overdoses, 30 percent were from methadone.

Methadone has been around for years to treat not only pain but also drug addiction?primarily heroin. Methadone can build up in a person?s system over time and affect their heart rhythm and breathing.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) oversees the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), which looks over drug-related deaths in 13 states.

DAWN furnished data from 1999-2010 revealing that four out of every 10 painkiller overdoses involved methadone. That is twice as many deaths attributed to Methadone than any other painkiller.

This powerful opioid made up two percent of painkiller prescriptions in the U.S. in 2009.

When researchers compared the methadone overdose numbers from 1999 to 2009 they discovered that over the course of a decade, deaths had increased six times the baseline rate.

CDC Director, Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, said, ?Deaths from opioid overdose have increased four-fold in the past decade, and methadone now accounts for nearly a third of opioid-associated deaths. Methadone used for heroin substitution treatment does not appear to be a major part of the problem.?

?However, the amount of methadone prescribed to people in pain has increased dramatically. There are many safer alternatives to methadone for chronic non-cancer pain.?

Linda C. Degutis, PhD, MSN, director of the CDC?s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, said, ?Methadone continues to play an important role in substance abuse treatment and should not be limited in its use for that application.?

?Health care providers can take precautions to reduce the risks of methadone overdose when used to treating pain.?

The CDC recommends health care providers use caution and closely monitor all methadone prescriptions for abuse.

This study was released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, July 3rd.

Drug Addiction

Drug abuse and addiction, broadly, refers to the ingestion of a substance that has psychoactive effects by altering the balance of chemicals in the brain. Typically, people might associate the term 'drug addiction' with street drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana. However, many more people are addicted to legal drugs such as alcohol, tobacco, and prescription medications.

Drug addiction, or more broadly, substance addiction, is a problem that goes back centuries in civilization. When someone is dependent on a substance, that means that they need the substance to function normally, and stopping taking it all of a sudden will cause withdrawal symptoms. Drug addiction on the other hand, means that someone compulsively uses the substance despite the negative or dangerous effects that result from it's use. Most addicts are dependent on their substance, but not all dependent persons are addicted. As someone continues to use or abuse the substance, they can develop tolerance to the substance, meaning more and more of it is needed to achieve the same effect.

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The cause of drug addiction is not known, however the interplay between a person's genes, environment, upbringing, and mental health all play a role in whether someone becomes addicted to a substance. People who have mental health problems and who are under emotional stress, or suffering with depression or anxiety are at greater risk for drug addiction, as are people who have family histories of addiction. The National Institutes of health notes that the people who are most likely to abuse or become addicted to drugs include people who:

• Have depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, and schizophrenia
• Have easy access to drugs
• Have low self-esteem, or problems with relationships
• Live a stressful lifestyle, economic or emotional
• Live in a culture where there is a high social acceptance of drug use

Commonly abused substances include:

• Opiates and narcotics?are powerful painkillers that cause drowsiness (sedation) and sometimes feelings of euphoria. These include?heroin, opium,?codeine,?meperidine?(Demerol),?hydromorphone?(Dilaudid), and?oxycodone?(Oxycontin).
• Central nervous system (CNS) stimulants?include amphetamines,?cocaine,?dextroamphetamine, methamphetamine, andmethylphenidate?(Ritalin). These drugs have a stimulating effect, and people can start needing higher amounts of these drugs to feel the same effect (tolerance).
• Central nervous system depressants?include alcohol, barbiturates (amobarbital, pentobarbital,?secobarbital), benzodiazepines (Valium, Ativan, Xanax),?chloral hydrate, and paraldehyde. These substances produce a sedative and anxiety-reducing effect, which can lead to dependence.
• Hallucinogens?include LSD, mescaline, psilocybin ("mushrooms"), and phencyclidine (PCP or "angel dust"). They can cause people to see things that aren't there (hallucinations) and can lead to psychological dependence.
• Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)?is the active ingredient found in?marijuana?(cannabis) and hashish.

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Source: http://www.dailyrx.com/news-article/painkiller-abuse-kills-thousands-people-every-year-19882.html

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