Methadone: overrepresented in US opioid overdose deaths
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Methadone: overrepresented in US opioid overdose deaths There has been a 5.5-fold increase in the rate of overdose deaths involving methadone between 1999 and 2009, according to a recent report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The use of methadone to treat chronic non-cancer pain has increased since the mid-1990s. Nationally, deaths due to methadone peaked at 1.8 per 100 000 persons in 2007 and has since reduced in line with reduced methadone distribution in the subsequent years. In 2009, methadone accounted for between 4.5% and 18.5% of the opioids distributed by US states. However, according to data from the Drug Abuse Warning Network Medical Examiner System (covering 13 US states), methadone was involved in 1034 deaths (31.4% of all opioid-related deaths) and 298 (39.8%) of the 748 single-drug deaths, twice as many as any other opioid. The authors of the report state that "methadone is being prescribed inappropriately for acute injuries and on a long-term basis for common causes of chronic pain" adding that "methadone should be reserved for use in selected circumstances (e.g., for cancer pain or palliative care), by prescribers with substantial experience in its use." Paulozzi LJ, et al. Vital signs: risk for overdose from methadone used for pain relief - United States, 1999-2010. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 61: 803075823 493-7, 6 Jul 2012. Available from: URL: http://dx.doi.org/mm6126a5
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Reactions 25 Aug 2012 No. 1416
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