Methadone

Methadone Methadone was synthesized for the first time in Germany in 1939; it was done in pharmaceutical laboratories of IG. The element results from a long chain of researches in the field of synthetic antipyretics that was carried out over 5 decades. By 1920, the researchers were focusing their research on development of medicine that has both painkilling and spasmolytic properties (Preston, 2010). The breakthrough was made in 1937 when the scientist discovered Pethidin, an effective opioid analgesic drug. Following the discovery of several compounds in 1939, the laboratory carried out pharmacological test with Va 10820. In 1947, it was officially given the name methadone by the council of pharmacist.
Treatment using methadone has had successes and failures. One of the successes is that it reduces or eliminates the use of drugs such as heroin, decrease deaths rates associated with heroin and assist patient in improving social productivity (Methadone Maintenance Handbook, 2009). Maintenance by use of methadone reduces the transmission of infectious diseases linked to heroin injection like HIV. The failures associated with the use of methadone in treatment include patients dropping from treatment. Many studies show that the dropout of new patients is approximately 25 percent within the first 1 to 3 months. One of the reasons for recurrent dropping is dosage. The increasing and decreasing of dosage make some patients uncomfortable (Nelles, 2001). Another reason for failure is that some evidence shows that methadone merely ‘ parks’ patients on a supplementary form of addiction instead of replacing addictive drugs such as heroin, it adds as a mixture of abuse to several people (Canada, 2002). Many people who die annually due to overdose is as a result of methadone.
On the biological aspect of methadone, latest research from the Norwegian institute of Public Health revealed that methadone affects the brain; this is after an experiment was carried out using animals and the drugs impaired the animals (Mino, Page, Dumont, & Broers, 1998). Certain proteins in the human brain that are significant in learning and memory are affected if methadone is used over a long period of time.
Annotated bibliography
Andrew Preston. (2010). the history of methadone and methadone prescribing. Drug Text.
Available at http://www. drugtext. org/Methadone-Briefing/section-1-the-history-of-methadone-and-methadone-prescribing. html
Bill Nelles. (2001). Methadone Maintenance treatment. The Journal of Primary Care Mental
Health. V. 5(1)
Bronwyn L, Shuling Chen, Don Weatherburn and Richard Mattick. (2004). the effectiveness of
methadone maintenance treatment in controlling crime: an aggregate-level analysis. NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. (2008). Methadone maintenance treatment: Client
handbook. Toronto [Ont.: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
Canada. (2002). Methadone maintenance treatment. Ottawa: Health Canada.
Corkery, J. M., Schifano, F., Ghodse, A. H., & Oyefeso, A. (December 01, 2004). The effects of
methadone and its role in fatalities. Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental, 19, 8, 565-576
DNT investigation: Former patient says methadone treatment was ‘ just another addiction’
Duluth News Tribune. 2012. Available at http://www. duluthnewstribune. com/event/article/id/244211/
Hermanjoseph, Sharon Stancliff, And John Langrod. (2000). Methadone Maintenance Treatment
(MMT): A Review of Historical and Clinical Issues. The Mount Sinai journal of medicine. Vol. 67 Nos. 5 & 6
Isiadinso, O. O. A. (n. d.). Success Rate of Detoxification from Methadone Maintenance in an
Ambulatory Care Unit
Morag McArthur & Australian Catholic University. (1999). A history of methadone treatment in
Australia: the influence of social control arguments in its development.
Methadone Maintenance Handbook. College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia.
2009.
Mino, A., Page, D., Dumont, P., & Broers, B. (January 01, 1998). Treatment failure and
methadone dose in a public methadone maintenance treatment programme in Geneva. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 50, 3, 233-9
Ralf Gerlach. (2004). A Brief Overview on the Discovery of Methadone. INDRO e. V.
Münster. Web-publication available at www. indro-online. de/discovery. pdf
The national academic press. (2001). Pharmacology and Medical Aspects of Methadone
Treatment. Available at http://www. nap. edu/openbook. php? record_id= 4899&page= 37
Vincent P. Dole. (1999). Methadone Maintenance. Comes of Age. Heroin Add & Rel Clin Probl.
1 (1): 13-17.