Methadone Side Effects

How does methadone affect me?

Methadone has many side effects of which unsuspecting patients are unaware:

Methadone can cause sudden death

Recent medical studies have revealed that methadone addiction can cause sudden cardiac arrest. Prior to 2001, federal law did not allow methadone clinics to prescribe methadone doses higher than 100mg/day. Successful lobbying from methadone doctors and businessmen who own methadone clinics changed the law allowing methadone clinics to use their judgment and push methadone doses much higher.

Today many patients with methadone addiction are receiving hundreds of milligrams of “methadone treatment” per day from methadone clinics nationally. Over one third of methadone addicted patients who are prescribed high dose methadone develop QT prolongation on their EKG. This methadone side effect frequently causes a cardiac arrhythmia called “Torsade de Pointes”.

Some methadone patients suffer sudden death which is then automatically assumed to be the patients fault; a drug overdose! “After all they are just another drug addict.” Wrong!! Prejudice against patients with drug addiction has resulted in second class medical care, especially for patients with known methadone addiction. The severe cardiac toxicity is caused by higher methadone doses from methadone maintenance clinics and the recent surge of methadone prescriptions by pain doctors who are fearful of prescribing OxyContin.

Methadone decreases brain blood flow and electricity

Methadone markedly decreases cerebral (brain) blood flow and electricity. These large holes on the SPECT (functional brain scan) demonstrate areas of the methadone addicted patient’s brain that are less than 45% of normal electrical activity. As the brain’s electricity is decreased by the methadone, so is the brain’s overall function.

Because the decrease in cognitive function is gradual and develops over time, patients with methadone addiction do not realize they have lost their competitive edge regarding analytic thinking and I.Q.

Pituitary Suppression

The pituitary gland is the brain’s primary endocrine gland. Its responsibility is to release hormones that “turn on” other vital organs such as the thyroid, adrenal glands, ovaries and testicles.

Methadone treatment, particularly at high doses (above 80mg/day) causes severe depression of the brain’s hypothalamus and pituitary. Katz at Harvard and other doctors have studied and proven that methadone induced pituitary suppression causes methadone addicted patients to suffer from all of the following side effects:

- Hypothyroidism

More common in females with methadone addiction than in men. Causes depression, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, memory loss, weight gain, cold intolerance, dry skin, elevated cholesterol, elevated triglycerides, and metabolic syndrome – which causes increased risk for heart attack and stroke.

- Estrogen Deficiency

Depression, insomnia, decreased pain tolerance, decreased memory, hot flashes, bladder pain, increased stroke/cardiac risk – which causes increased blood pressure, and increased clotting.

- Progesterone Deficiency

Through three chemical reactions progesterone converts to a GABA-ergic chemical. GABA is the most relaxing chemical in the brain.

Decreased GABA levels cause the following:

Newfound anxiety disorder
Newfound insomnia disorder
Increased physical pain throughout body
Heavy menstrual bleeding
Painful menstrual bleeding
Increased migraine headache syndrome

- Testosterone Deficiency

Decreases:

Bone density
Muscle mass (positive nitrogen balance)
Libido
T-cell (fighter cell) activity
Memory recall
Testosterone deficiency in men and women causes significant depression

An increase in testosterone from 300-600 (midrange) in men older than 50 decreases risk of heart attack and death by 40% (2007 Harvard University Study)

- Adrenal Gland Suppression

Results in deficiency of all your “get up and go” chemicals:

Epinephrine
Norepinephrine
Dopamine
Cortisol