Methadone is a synthetic opioid, used medically as an analgesic and anti-addictive. It was developed in Germany in 1937. Although chemically unlike morphine or heroin, methadone also acts on the opioid receptors and thus produces many of the same effects. Methadone maintenance therapy is the most systematically studied, the most successful, and the most politically polarizing pharmacotherapy for the treatment of drug addiction patients.

Symptoms of methadone abuse
As with other opioid medications, tolerance and dependence usually develop with repeated doses. Tolerance to the different physiological effects of methadone varies. Tolerance to analgesia usually occurs during the first few weeks of use; whereas with respiratory depression, sedation, and nausea it is seen within approximately 5-7 days.

Common symptoms of methadone withdrawal
Withrawal symptoms of methadone include:
• increased lacrimation
• rhinorrhea
• sneezing
• nausea
• vomiting
• fever
• chills
• tremor
• tachycardia

Withdrawal symptoms are generally slightly less severe than those of morphine or heroin at equivalent doses but are significantly more prolonged; methadone withdrawal symptoms can last for several weeks or more.

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