Prescribing Methadone as an Analgesic

Abstract

Letters18 October 2005Prescribing Methadone as an AnalgesicRichard C. Dart, MD, PhD, George E. Woody, MD, and Herbert D. Kleber, MDRichard C. Dart, MD, PhDFrom the Rocky Mountain Poison Center, Denver, CO 80204; University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19106; and Columbia University, New York, NY 10032.Search for more papers by this author, George E. Woody, MDFrom the Rocky Mountain Poison Center, Denver, CO 80204; University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19106; and Columbia University, New York, NY 10032.Search for more papers by this author, and Herbert D. Kleber, MDFrom the Rocky Mountain Poison Center, Denver, CO 80204; University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19106; and Columbia University, New York, NY 10032.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-143-8-200510180-00028 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Internists are often involved in the care of patients with chronic pain. Increased awareness of the need for adequate pain relief, combined with concerns about the costs and the potential abuse of extended-release formulations of opioid analgesics, has led to markedly increased use of methadone as an analgesic. Methadone tablets, in contrast to the liquid formulation used for substance abuse, are primarily used to treat pain. Methadone tablet prescriptions in the United States increased from 437 030 in 2001 to 2 609 613 in 2004, while prescriptions of hydrocodone and oxycodone increased only slightly (1). Methadone's slow onset, its ability ...