METHADONE

(METH a done) Brand: Diskets, Dolophine, Methadose

What is the most significant information I must know about methadone?

• Taking methadone improperly will magnify your risk of serious side effects or death. Even if you have used another narcotic medications, you may still have serious side effects from methadone. Follow all dosing instructions carefully.

• Like another narcotic medicines, methadone can slow your breathing, even long after the pain-relieving effects of the medicine wear off. Death may occur if breathing becomes too weak. Never use more methadone than your doctor has prescribed. Call your doctor if you think the medication is not working.

• Do not stop using methadone suddenly, or you could have unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. Call your doctor if you miss doses or forget to take this medicine for longer than 3 days in a row.

• Do not drink alcohol. Methadone can magnify the effects of alcohol, which could be dangerous. Check your food and medication labels to be certain these commodity do not contain alcohol.

• This medicine may impair your thinking or reactions. Avoid driving or operating machinery before you know how methadone will affect you.

What is methadone?

• Methadone is an opioid pain medicine. An opioid is sometimes called a narcotic. Methadone also reduces withdrawal symptoms in people addicted to heroin or another narcotic drugs without causing the "high" associated with the drug addiction.

• Methadone is used as a pain reliever and as part of drug addiction detoxification and maintenance programs.

• Methadone may also be used for purposes not listed in this medicine guide.

What must I discuss with my healthcare provider till using methadone?

• Methadone may be habit forming and must be used only by the face it was predesigned for. Never share Methadone with other face, especially somebody with a history of drug abuse or addiction. Hold the medicine in a seat where others can't get to it.

• Do not use this medicine if you have ever had an allergic reaction to a narcotic medication (examples include codeine, morphine, Oxycontin, Darvocet, Percocet, Vicodin, Lortab, and much others). You must also not take methadone if you are having an asthma onslaught or if you have a bowel obstruction called paralytic ileus.

• To create certain you can safely use methadone, speak your doctor if you have any of these another conditions:

· a private or family history of "Long QT syndrome";

· asthma, COPD, sleep apnea, or another breathing disorders;

· liver or kidney disease;

· underactive thyroid;

· curvature of the spine;

· a history of head injury or brain tumor;

· epilepsy or another seizure disorder;

· low blood pressure;

· gallbladder disease;

· Addison's malady or another adrenal gland disorders;

· enlarged prostate, urination problems;

· mental diseases; or

· a history of drug or alcohol addiction.

• FDA pregnancy category C. It is not known whether Methadone will harm an unborn child. Methadone may reason addiction or withdrawal symptoms in a newborn if the mother takes the medicine during pregnancy. Speak your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant while using Methadone.

• Methadone can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing child. Do not use this medicine without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

• Older adults and people with debilitating conditions may be more sensitive to the effects of this medication.

How must I use methadone?

• Use exactly as predesigned. Never use Methadone in larger amounts, or for longer than recommended by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label. Speak your doctor if the medication seems to stop working as well in relieving your pain.

• When methadone is used as part of a treatment program for drug addiction or detoxification, you will receive the medicine through a clinic or particular pharmacy.

• Your doctor may recommend that methadone be given to you by a family member or another caregiver. This is to create certain you are using the medication as it was predesigned as part of your treatment.

• Additional forms of counseling and/or monitoring may be recommended during treatment with methadone.

• Methadone is accessible in tablets, dispersible tablets, oral solution (liquid) and as an injection. The pill and oral liquid forms of methadone should never be used to create a methadone injection.

• Measure the liquid form of methadone with a particular dose-measuring spoon or cup, not a regular table spoon. If you do not have a dose-measuring device, ask your pharmacist for one.

• The methadone dispersible tablet (Diskets) is made to be dissolved in water. Do not chew, crush, or swallow the tablet intact. Seat the tablet into a 4-ounce glass of water, orange juice, or another citrus-flavored non-alcoholic beverage and let the tablet to disperse in the liquid. The tablet will not dissolve completely. Drink this mixture right away. To create certain you get the entire doze, add a few more liquid to the same glass, swirl gently and drink right away.

• Store at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

• After you have stopped using this medicine, flush any unused pills down the toilet.

• Hold track of how many of this medication has been used. Methadone is a drug of abuse and you must be aware if any face in the household is using this medication improperly or without a prescription.

What happens if I miss a dose?

• Use the missed doze as soon as you remember. Skip the missed doze if it is nearly time for your following scheduled doze. Do not use extra medication to create up the missed dose.

• If you miss your doses for longer than 3 days in a row, call your doctor for instructions. You may need to restart methadone at a lower dose.

What happens if I overdose?

• Search abnormal medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222. An overdose of methadone can be fatal, especially if you take it with alcohol or another narcotic medications.

• Overdose symptoms may include extreme drowsiness, pinpoint pupils, confusion, cool and clammy skin, weak pulse, shallow breathing, fainting, or breathing that stops.

What must I avoid while using methadone?

• Do not drink alcohol. Methadone can magnify the effects of alcohol, which could be dangerous. Check your food and medication labels to be certain these commodity do not contain alcohol.

• This medicine may impair your thinking or reactions. Avoid driving or operating machinery before you know how methadone will affect you.

What are the possible side effects of methadone?

• Get abnormal medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your person, lips, tongue, or throat.

• Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

· shallow breathing;

· hallucinations or confusion;

· chest pain, dizziness, fainting, quick or pounding heartbeat; or

· trouble breathing, feeling light-headed, or fainting.

• Smaller serious side effects may include:

· feeling anxious, nervous, or restless;

· sleep problems (insomnia);

· feeling weak or drowsy;

· dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, loss of appetite; or

· decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm.

• This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Speak your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect. You may message side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

What another drugs will affect methadone?

• Do not use methadone with any another narcotic pain medications, sedatives, tranquilizers, sleeping pills, muscle relaxers, or another medicines that can create you sleepy or slow your breathing. Dangerous side effects may result.

• Speak your doctor about all another medicines you use, especially:

· a diuretic (water pill);

· antibiotics such as azithromycin (Zithromax), ciprofloxacin (Cipro), clarithromycin (Biaxin), erythromycin (E.E.S., EryPed, Ery-Tab, Erythrocin, Pediazole), itraconazole (Sporanox), ketoconazole (Nizoral), metronidazole (Flagyl) or voriconazole (Vfend);

· heart or blood pressure medicine such as diltiazem (Cardizem, Cartia, Dilacor, Tiazac) or verapamil (Calan, Covera, Isoptin, Verelan);

· HIV medicines such as abacavir (Ziagen), didanosine (Videx), efavirenz (Atripla, Sustiva), nelfinavir (Viracept), nevirapine (Viramune), ritonavir (Kaletra, Norvir), stavudine (Zerit), or zidovudine (Retrovir);

· an MAO inhibitor such as furazolidone (Furoxone), isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), rasagiline (Azilect), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam, Zelapar), or tranylcypromine (Parnate);

· another narcotic medications such as pentazocine (Talwin), nalbuphine (Nubain), buprenorphine (Subutex), or butorphanol (Stadol);

· rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane, Rifater); or

· seizure medicine such as phenobarbital (Solfoton) or phenytoin (Dilantin).

• This list is not complete and there are much another drugs that can interact with Methadone. Tell your doctor about all medications you use. This includes prescription, over-the-counter, vitamin, and herbal commodity. Do not start a new medicine without telling your doctor. Hold a list of all your medicines and show it to any healthcare provider who treats you.

Where can I get more information?

• Your pharmacist can provide more information about methadone.

Remember, hold this and all another medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medicine only for the indication prescribed.

Disclaim: Each effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses external of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way must be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safety, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the help of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

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