Methadone for Leukemia

"Researchers in Germany have discovered that methadone has surprising killing power against leukemia cells, including treatment-resistant forms of the cancer. Their laboratory study, published in the 1 August 2008 issue of Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, suggests that methadone holds promise as a new therapy for leukemia, especially in patients whose cancer no longer responds to chemotherapy and radiation."(Wiki)

Another Form

There are two forms of methadone, there is racemic which is the cheapest to make, and the most common, and there is laevorotary. The second form of methadone is extremely expensive to make, and is primarily marketed to Europe, and Asia. Levo-Polamidone, Polamidone, Heptanone, Heptadone, Heptadon are the brand names. The second form was, in 1994, placed on the market for opiate dependency in the Netherlands, though later it was removed from the market all over the world due to cardiac problems.

Cross Effects

The cross effects of methadone differ from the amount of the chemical that you take. 60-80 mgs can stop the euphoria that heroine and other opiates give the user while a low dosage can stop the effects a weaker opiates like hydrocodone. This is a nice thought for the people who work with recovering addicts since the worry of them leaving the clinic and doing more opiates.
A large misconception is that methadone can be used to help people get off of cocaine, alcohol, and meth, but this is not true. The fact that methadone can stop the effects of harder and more dangerous opioids is a huge saving grace in my opinion.

Pain Managment

Methadone is also used for pain managment, this is regarded as a good thing considering methadone is less dangerous compared to the stronger pain medications that have worse side-effects. As I have said before it has almost the same effect as morphine, and herione except it is less addictive and also a synthetic( which means proccessed). Though as everyone knows methadone has it's own short-comings including the side-effects it can have in a patient who has hepattits, and pneumonia. "In case of overdose patients will experience prior difficulty breathing, muscle spasms, small pupils, blushed hued skin and finernails, constipation, slowed heart-rate, lowered blood pressure, drowsiness, and eventually coma." (Pain Managment)

The Law

Methadone is a schedule II drug which means it can not be sold without approval from the DEA, and it's illegal to have without a prescription. It may be given for pain in the U.S. as well as a treatment for dependency. "Patients are usually given liquid methadone and are watched by the clinic nurses."(Erowid) As of January 2008 manufactures of methadone above 40mg can only sell the product to lincensed for drug rehabilitaion clinics, this is of course due to the DEA. As of May 22, 2008 the DEA issued a final rule about how many patients a rehab clinic can prescribe narcotics to. (The Final Rule)

Dangerous Side Effects

As with any pharmaceuticals, methadone has some scary side effects, many of which endanger the user. One of the biggest problem is respiratory depression, "this usually occurs when pain is abruptly relieved and the sedative effects of the opioids are no longer opposed by the stimulating effects of pain."(Respiratory Depression) The problem with respiratory depression is that it doesn't happen until hours, or even days later, and last much longer than the peak of the analgesic effects, this problem will usually happen to patients whom are new to the daily methadone dosing. Another major concern is cases of QT interval prolongation and arrhythmia, this is mainly a concern for people who are required to take large doses. "An arrhythmia is a problem with the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat. During an arrhythmia the heart can beat too fast, and too slow, or with an irregular rhythm," the site goes on to say that arrhythmia's are primarily harmless, but sometimes they can be serious and even fatal.(Arrhythmia) As I have stated before, and as any doctor or person with common sense would tell you, methadone is dangerous, but if taken correctly, and always safely the less likely something will go wrong.

Coming off Narcotics

You become addicted to a substance after, but not always, prolonged use; this being anywhere from a month to a year depending on the amount of the substance you put into your body.

Anyone can become addicted!

It is a problem that the country as a whole needs to be aware of to stop the loss of employment, loss of family, and loss of personal perspective. Addiction to opiate narcotics is considered the worse type of dependency, this is due to the way it affects the users dopamine, and other chemicals in the brain. When a person becomes addicted to a substance their body tells them they need more of the substance to get the same kind of high, and the more they take the worse the brain is damaged. When a person wants to come off of a drug they start to feel withdrawal symptoms, including: severe pain, diarrhea, muscle spasms, and other bodily malfunctions. The worst thing about coming off a opiate, or opioid, is the lack of dopamine being released in the brain, causing the user to remain depressed, and more like a robot than a functional human being. What doctors do with someone who is not releasing dopamine is to simply prescribe them either Methadone. In some newer cases with people who have had a chance with Methadone, and have still gone back to heroine, or other opiates/opioid, they are then forced to be put on Suboxone. Drug Dependency is a disease, and it should be taken seriously, because the people who suffer from the pain of dependency deserve a second chance to live a productive life.

Always a Down Side

All you hear about methadone these days is the growing number of deaths each year from methadone poisoning, but do you ever hear how many other people are off of heroine, and other narcotic painkillers? In fact many recovering users would be benefiting so much from methadone that they probably wouldn't mind the potential risk, and in any case isn't taking something prescribed to you by a doctor better than buying something twice as dangerous on the streets? "Methadone is an important and beneficial drug when prescribed and used properly," this was said by Douglas Throckmorton, MD, deputy director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. As of 2004 the drug addiction treatment is required to give out pamphlets on the drug itself, and how to use safely. Dr. Douglas Throckmorton went on to say, "Educational efforts like the one we are announcing today can help prevent the tragedies that occur when methadone is used improperly." (Methadone Safety)

New Era: Suboxone

A newer drug compared to methadone, but with many of the same effects. It is an opioid blocker, which stops the effects of other opioids, such as methadone, heroine, etc. It is made up of buprenorphine which is an opioid, and naloxone which is an opioid antagonist. Suboxone is fastly becoming the new wonder drug to get people off of opiates( opioids), and more over to stay off of narcotics.

"Buprenorphine is a semi-synthetic opiate with partial agonist and antagonist actions. Buprenorphine hydrochloride was first marketed in the 1980s by Reckitt & Colman (now Reckitt Benckiser) as an analgesic." (Right Health)

Is Suboxone really a wonder drug? Many ex-users think the come down from Suboxone was much worse due to the extended length of the come down. "Unfortunately, not all doctors give their patients the full story. People need to understand that Suboxone is an extremely powerful OPIATE. Even the FDA’s own studies concluded that Suboxone by volume is 20 times more powerful than morphine!"(Storm Looming)

The Origins

Methadone was created by Nazi Germany in 1937, though it was created for people who had lost limbs and such, it is now widely and commonly used to treat heroine addiction. "Although chemically unlike morphine or heroin, methadone also acts on the opioid receptors and thus produces many of the same effects."( wiki web) It is now, and has been in the spotlight for some time now due to methadone related deaths, in fact from 1993 to 2004 over 2,378 people were prescribed methadone for chronic pain, and addiction, out of the thousands that took methadone only 181 actually died. "Drug dependence was identified as the principal cause of death in 60 people(33 per cent). History of psychiatric admission was significantly associated with drug-dependent death as was history of prescription of benzodiazepines."(database) As of January of 2009 the United States is trying to remove methadone from the market and replace it with a newer drug known as, "Suboxone" which I will go into in the next entry.

J. L. Hollaway