Methadone Deaths Continue to Rise
Deaths due to the misuse of the painkilling drug methadone increased 600 percent from 1999 to 2005, according to the latest statistics from the National Center for Health Statistics. Deaths from methadone overdoes increased from 786 in 1999 to 4,462 in 2005, the agency reported.
Methadone, which is mostly known as a treatment for heroin addiction, has been increasingly prescribed by doctors as a pain killer for those who suffer from chronic pain or for cancer patients.
Experts say it is the misuse of those pain pills that is responsible for the increase in fatal overdoses, not the methadone that is despensed through methadone clinics to treat addicts. The pills are being stolen while in route from the manufacture to pharmacies and are being sold on the black market by those who have a prescription.
Slow Effects Makes It Dangerous
Because methadone is cheaper than other prescribed painkillers, such as oxycodone, it is more easily diverted to the black market, authorities say.
Methadone is dangerous because of time it takes for users to feel the effects.
"It takes a while for its action to be perceived by the patient, and in this age of instant gratification — 'Hey, I still hurt' — they grab a second one or even a third one, and by the time everything kicks in, they wake up dead," Dr. Thomas Andrew, New Hampshire's medical examiner told the Associated Press.
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Photo: DEA
Comments
In 2005 Methadone is indicated in over 4600 deaths nationwide and this number is underestimated due to an error in ICD10 coding and non uniform procedures in reporting and determining causes of death. Methadone is killing more people than any other prescription drug, killing 2 people for every 100 exposed.
Methadone is now the #2 Killer Drug in the U.S. This is a legal drug that has been thought to be safe for the past 40 years. Only recently when its use became approved for pain management patients has the cardio toxic risks emerged. Previously methadone has been used exclusively for replacement therapy for heroin patients and death was thought to be an effect of the accumulation of many years of drug abuse. With the surge in pain medication misuse and abuse more patients are being referred to methadone clinics and physicians treating pain who believe the myth that methadone is safer or non addictive because of it’s use with weaning addicts from heroin. Methadone is more addictive then any other pain medication including heroin and because of it’s extremely long half life, cardio toxic risks, numerous fatal drug interactions, dosages based on tolerance, and small margin of error. Up until Nov 2006 the government and pharmaceutical companies have been suppressing the numerous health and fatality risks related to methadone.
there are between 800,000 & 900,000 (some stats give diff numbers) heroin addicts in the U.S and 1,881 people died from heroin in the U.S. in 2004.
there are 200,000 people on methadone for drug treatment and I don’t have the number of people on it for pain but even if we double the 200,000 and assume it’s 400,000 total people on methadone there were 3,849 deaths in 2004
It looks like the “gold standard” is killing more then the drug its supposed to save people from!!!!
Every day 10.9 people die from Methadone (according to 2004 stats, not
including car accident deaths caused by drivers under the influence of Methadone)
We (the families of methadone victims) are requesting new laws surrounding who can prescribe Methadone, clinic rules and regulations as well as stiffer penalties for those caught selling their take home doses. The whole methadone maintenance system needs an overhauling. We cannot continue to allow a legal medication to be killing more people then the illegal drugs. Our government cannot be allowed to use tax dollars to fund their legal drug dealing operations.
We are asking government agencies to enact stricter guidelines in prescribing methadone for any reason. It must be mandatory that all doctors be certified and trained in the pharmacology of methadone; inpatient stays must be required during induction to methadone; all staff be extensively trained in monitoring methadone patients for symptoms of toxicity. Clinic patients should be tested weekly for legal and illegal drugs that are taken with methadone to get “ high” or experience “euphoria” such as benzodiazepines, alcohol, cocaine, heroin, marijuana etc… and face severe consequences or mandatory detoxification from the methadone program after 3 dirty urines. Selling of take home doses must result in termination from methadone program permanently throughout the U.S. When presenting inebriated at clinic, clinic should also document such activity as well as prevent client from driving. Take home doses for all patients receiving methadone should be eliminated thus preventing the risk of diversion or precautions such as pill safe should be implemented. http://www.thepillsafe.com/
Current statistics show that nearly 4000 people a year die from methadone. These deaths are mostly happening to pain management and detoxification patients’ wit hi n the first 10 days of taking initial dose. Most of these deaths are related to methadone prescribed with other medications that react as additives with the methadone. Diversion of methadone is a serious problem because it lands t hi s most deadly drug on streets. Statistics also state that methadone is contributing to more deaths nationwide then heroin and only second to cocaine deaths.
The potential of abuse, diversion, and overdose to new patients being prescribed methadone is overwhelming. The unique properties of methadone, it’s long half life, and it’s negative interaction with numerous drugs make it an optimal choice as a last result treatment for chronic pain and addiction.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.
Sincerely
Melissa Zuppardi
Helping America Reduce Methadone Deaths
www.HARMD.org
You do not have to misuse or abuse this drug to die as death can occur from a single small dose and nothing else in your system. That is one of the most known misconceptions as Methadone is a very lethal and unstable drug.
Methadone is the #1 killer of a single prescription narcotic in this country and the numbers are rising at an epidemic rate. Death comes from clinics, pain management and the diversion from both sources. Many have died while under the care and monitoring of a doctor. Although Methadone is deadly all by itself the risk increases when mixed with many other substances, even OTC products. It is nearly impossible at this time to predetermine who will survive and who will die from comsuming this drug.
Unfortunately, there has been a wide spread marketing measure to minimize it’s safety for some time. This misleading information has allowed Methadone to be very popular for doctors to prescribe in mass quantities, and becoming a front runner on our streets. Crimes that are associated with Methadone are on the rise from drug bust to death.
Clinics using this drug as a replacement for an addicts drug of choice are popping up all over this country and also do not practice what they preach as they enter communities. In most cases they are not detoxing these patrons but keep them on a highly addictive narcotic for years, many for a lifetime. These are one of the biggest medical marketing scams to ever hit this nation and it is all done legally. They hide behind the Americans with Disabilities Act and HIPPA regulations to maintain the ultimate financial investment. The addicts are happy as they still receive a very strong narcotic to feed the cravings and the owners are making millions. A large amount of this money comes from the taxpayers pockets.
Methadone may be legal but addiction is still addiction and to substitute one drug for another is not producing a “drug free” patron. Most clinics insist this drug is safe during pregnancy and breast feeding, yet babies are being born daily addicted to this legal drug. Some how society has accepted this as being OK and call it treatment.
Methadone is a Schedule II narcotic on the same level as Morphine, Dilaudid, Demerol, OxyContin, Percocet and others yet can be much more deadly in smaller doses. Thousands are dying yearly and nothing is being done by the FDA, SAMHSA, DEA and others. Methadone is a billion dollar business for the drug companies and health groups. Has greed and lack of moral values overcome a human life?
Mothers Against Medical Abuse. Org
Helping to Stop Rx, Methadone Deaths and Abuse
http://motheragainstmedicalabuse.org/
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/RxMethadoneDeaths
How does someone “wake up dead”?
In a chronic pain program I’m associated with Methadone has helped a lot of people. From what I’ve read, one issue is that the therapeutic half-life is shorter than the actual half-life of the drug in the blood stream. This sometimes allows lethal levels to build up. It is certainly subject to abuse, but it has also been very helpful for some patients with chronic pain. I have seen physicians being much more careful lately, and using alternatives a lot.
curious asks how does someone wake up dead??well it happened to my daughters fiance, she found him gurguling in bed fully clothed, cell phone in hand. the front door was wide open and his dogs were inside of his pick-up, he was getting ready to leave and went back inside for god only knows, obviously didnt feel so great cuz he laid down and never got up again….autopsy showed acute drug intoxication as cause of death….methadone prescribed for a electricution accident he had suffered two years before.. he was in the prime of his life and was a wonderful caring person with everything going for him….except he lived with severve pain and mismanaged his meds…we all knew it but he was a big tough guy and now we live in sorrow to think he was snatched from earth so fast…he went to sleep and woke up in heaven
5/26/08, Memorial Day, will always be the day my worst nightmare began. My phone rang that morningand ipicked up to hear my 15-year old granddaughter screaming, “Daddy’sDead!”. I strted screaming too.My neighbor heard me, and knocked on my front door. I mght still be screaming, had she not come to see what was wrong with me. My only kid, a 38-year old man, had combined Ritalin with methadone, the evenng before; now, we will forever pay the price for this foolishness. he had detoxed from Vicodin and alcohol 5 months previous. His wife continued to abuse Vicodin, bringing the drugs into their home. Iwish I had at leaast suggested that he come stay with me until she gotclean; he might still be alive had Idone so.