title: Methadone: marvelous, malevolent, or merely misunderstood?
abstract: Methadone is an opioid analgesic that is also commonly used to prevent opioid-withdrawal symptoms in patients undergoing treatment for opioid addiction. The prescribing of methadone for pain management has been under scrutiny because of a high incidence of deaths associated with its use. However, many practitioners find methadone offers numerous benefits, including dosing options and duration of analgesia. Methadone may still have a place in pain management when practitioners are adequately educated about methadone's pharmacologic properties, dosing, and monitoring considerations.
authors.affiliation: consultant pharmacist in Greensboro, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Caren McHenry
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Martin
mesh_terms: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008691:Methadone / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D059408:Pain Management / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D008691:Methadone