Deaths Linked to Methadone Use for PainJuly 3, 2003
Research Summary
New research suggests that an increase in methadone use in North Carolina for pain management may be associated with the significant jump in accidental deaths linked to methadone overdoses, Reuters reported July 1.The study by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed autopsy records from North Carolina. They showed that methadone-related unintentional deaths increased five-fold from 1997 to 2001.
According to the study's findings, 198 North Carolina residents died from methadone overdoses between 1997 and 2001. However, only 4 percent of those who died were enrolled in opiate treatment programs.
The study showed that during the same time period, the amount of methadone purchased by pharmacies and hospitals increased four-fold. The researchers said this reflects "the increased use of methadone for pain management."
In recent years, doctors have increasingly prescribed methadone to patients with chronic pain. These patients are more at risk of overdosing because the pain-killing effects of methadone wear off in 12 hours, but the drug remains in the body for many more hours, researchers said.
The researchers said that it is "unlikely" that people who overdosed on methadone had received the treatment for heroin addiction.
The study's findings are published in the July 2 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Ballesteros, M., Budnitz, D., Sanford, C., Gilchrist, J., Agyekum, G., & Butts, J. (2003) Increase in Deaths Due to Methadone in North Carolina. Journal of the American Medical Association, 290(1): 40.
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