The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it has received reports of death and life threatening side effects in patients who are taking methadone - a chronic pain reliever that is also used as part of drug addiction detoxification and maintenance programs.

FDA report

The FDA has said that it has received reports of deaths and life-threatening side effects in new patients taking methadone as a pain reliever and in other patients who have switched to methadone in an attempt to discontinue using stronger narcotics to relieve pain. In addition to the reported deaths, the FDA has said that methadone can cause serious side effects such as:

• Slow or shallow breathing and dangerous changes in heart beat that may not be felt by patients taking the drug
• Extreme tiredness or sleepiness
• Blurred vision
• Inability to think, talk or walk normally
• Feeling faint, dizzy or confused

It recommends that patients who experience these symptoms should seek medical attention immediately.

Increase in methadone use

Methadone use has significantly increased over the years due to its low cost and ability to treat patients with chronic pain. However, many do not realize that methadone stays in the human body for up to 59 hours after it is taken. Therefore, the possibility of experiencing these side effects - as well as death from an overdose - are greater with methadone than with a narcotic that does not stay in the body for as long.

FDA warning

The FDA has provided that following warning to health care professionals:

To prevent serious complications from methadone (Dolophine), health care professionals who prescribe methadone should read and carefully follow the methadone prescribing information [from the] FDA…[which] is issuing this public health advisory to alert patients, their caregivers and health care professionals to [this] safety information.

Have you or a loved one been injured by methadone use?

If you or a loved one has been injured due to methadone use, contact an experienced lawyer whose practice focuses in this area of the law to discuss your situation as you may be entitled to damages. To contact a lawyer for a free consultation, please click here.