Pubdate: Sun, 25 Mar 2007
Source: Salisbury Post (NC)
Copyright: 2007 Post Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.salisburypost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/380
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?136 (Methadone)

METHADONE AND ITS RISKS

Administered under the supervision of a knowledgeable physician, 
methadone is a powerfully effective drug that can help alleviate 
chronic pain or wean addicts away from their dependence on illegal 
narcotics. Used improperly, methadone can be as lethal as an overdose 
of heroin or cocaine. A series on methadone beginning in today's Post 
describes how the drug's increasing popularity as a legally 
prescribed painkiller -- and its illicit use as a street drug -- has 
brought a tandem rise in unintentional overdose deaths.

Nationally, it's estimated that methadone overdose deaths have risen 
almost 400 percent since 1999. That year, overdoses accounted for 623 
deaths, according to health experts.

By 2003, the number of overdose deaths had rocketed to 2,452. In 
Rowan County, methadone has been implicated in nearly half the 
unintentional overdose deaths registered between 2003 and 2005. 
Considering the alarming list of potential side effects that 
accompanies almost any prescription medication these days, perhaps it 
should come as no surprise that a powerful synthetic opiate such as 
methadone could pose catastrophic consequences if taken in doses 
beyond those prescribed in a clinical setting.

What makes methadone especially problematic, however, is that it is 
highly addictive, although it doesn't offer users a typical "high," 
and it can stay in the body for more than two days after its 
analgesic effect has subsided.

Whether it's an abuser popping pills in search of a non-existent high 
or a patient seeking relief from pain by going beyond the prescribed 
amount, the overdose danger is the same: Methadone can quickly build 
up to toxic levels, an effect exacerbated if someone is taking other 
drugs at the same time. By the time a patient recognizes signs of 
trouble such as irregular or shallow breathing, sleepiness, dizziness 
or confusion, he or she may not be able to get help.

For drug abusers who buy pills off the street or swipe them from a 
medicine cabinet, warnings about methadone's risks may have little impact.

Despite widespread publicity about the dire health consequences of 
crack cocaine and methamphetamine, for instance, addicts still widely 
abuse those drugs -- and methadone is much cheaper.

What might discourage someone tempted to sell methadone illegally, 
however, is the possibility of a murder charge.

N.C. Sen. John Snow has proposed a change in state law that would 
allow second-degree murder charges against anyone who illegally 
provides the methadone that causes a fatal overdose.

While harsher penalties may help discourage the illegal sale of 
methadone, the remedy for reducing deaths among legitimate users 
should be obvious. Doctors need to stay abreast of the latest 
prescription guidelines, and patients need to scrupulously follow 
dosage instructions while paying attention to any symptoms of a 
possible overdose.

As always, vigilance -- and competent medical care -- are the 
patient's best defense.
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