Methadone
Methadone is a long-acting full opioid agonist used in supervised opioid-use-disorder treatment and for chronic pain. As medication-assisted treatment it has strong evidence for reducing illicit opioid use, overdose death, and disease transmission. Because it is a full agonist with a long, variable half-life, it carries real risks of respiratory depression, overdose, and QT prolongation, so it is dispensed under close supervision.
Too much may be associated with
As a full opioid agonist it carries significant overdose risk (respiratory depression), especially early in treatment or when combined with sedatives; it can also prolong the cardiac QT interval. Dependence develops, and discontinuation requires a slow, supervised taper.
Informational only — not medical advice.
Neurotransmitters
Research (13)
- Medications for Opioid Use Disorder, Opioid Withdrawal, and Opioid Overdose: A Review Harris et al. (2026) Full text ↗ PubMed ↗
- Caring for Hospitalized Adults With Opioid Use Disorder in the Era of Fentanyl: A Review Englander et al. (2024) Full text ↗ PubMed ↗
- Intraoperative Methadone in Next-day Discharge Outpatient Surgery: A Randomized, Double-blinded, Dose-finding Pilot Study Kharasch et al. (2023) Full text ↗ PubMed ↗
- Restless Legs Syndrome: Contemporary Diagnosis and Treatment Gossard et al. (2021) Full text ↗ PubMed ↗
- Methadone for Pain Management: A Pharmacotherapeutic Review Kreutzwiser et al. (2020) Full text ↗ PubMed ↗
- Medication Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder Bell et al. (2020) Full text ↗ PubMed ↗
- Opioids for cancer pain - an overview of Cochrane reviews Wiffen et al. (2017) Full text ↗ PubMed ↗
- Peripartum Anesthetic Management of the Opioid-tolerant or Buprenorphine/Suboxone-dependent Patient Pan et al. (2017) Full text ↗ PubMed ↗
- Addiction disorders Merrill et al. (2014) Full text ↗ PubMed ↗
- Buprenorphine and buprenorphine/naloxone soluble-film for treatment of opioid dependence Soyka (2012) Full text ↗ PubMed ↗
- Opioid dependence O'Shea et al. (2011) Full text ↗ PubMed ↗
- Opioid dependence Benich (2011) Full text ↗ PubMed ↗
- Opioid dependence O'Shea et al. (2009) Full text ↗ PubMed ↗
Links
Recovery resources
Help for methadone use and recovery. Not an endorsement or medical advice — see all recovery resources.
Narcotics Anonymous (NA)
A global 12-step fellowship for people recovering from addiction to any drug.
SMART Recovery
A secular, science-based recovery program using cognitive-behavioral tools for any addictive behavior.
Community
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