If you are currently a client in a methadone clinic, then you have most likely heard treatment staff emphasize the importance of safety with methadone and the necessity of carefully securing take home methadone doses. Methadone is a powerful medication that is tremendously helpful to recovering individuals. It is also potentially lethal in the wrong hands and consequently must be deliberately safeguarded.

There is a recently published article on Bloomberg regarding methadone being diverted and then taken by someone who later died from an overdose. This turn of events has led to newly proposed legislation in five states (Maine, Indiana, Minnesota, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania) that would further tighten regulations regarding the operation of methadone clinics and their award of methadone take home medication to their clients.

The reported misuse of methadone, and associated deaths, was allegedly tied to several private, for-profit clinics that operate in these states. One of ...

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Methadone is so very beneficial when used properly and judiciously (as prescribed). However, in the wrong hands, methadone can lead to tragic consequences. Here is a cautionary tale.

Making the news in Gaston County, North Carolina was the recent death of a young man who was a member of his school's football team. His name was Harry Cohen, and he was 17 years old.

Harry had played in an extraordinary football game on August 26, just days before his death. He is reported to have rushed for 241 yards and passed for 107 yards. A very impressive performance. He is also reported to have taken some hard hits in the game. His family indicated that he was sore from the highly physical contact.

While visiting with his grandmother later (who had a legitimate methadone prescription for pain management), Harry decided to take some of the medication to ease his ...

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I was speaking with someone the other day about methadone and they asked me if methadone was the same thing as "meth". They had heard about "meth labs" on the news and people being arrested for manufacturing "meth" in their homes to sell illegally on the street. This individual was wondering if "meth" and methadone were the same thing. They are not!

"Meth" is a slang term often used in print and TV media to refer to the illegal drug crystal methamphetamine. Crystal meth is a highly addictive stimulant drug that can lead to devastating effects for its users (paranoia, hallucinations, heart attack, stroke, and death). Addiction often develops rapidly, and users are left with severe depression and fatigue as they crash following use of the drug. Crystal methamphetamine wreaks havoc on the brain's neurotransmitters, and it is estimated that around 20% of those who abuse it develop psychotic ...

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The Kitsap Sun, a newspaper based out of Bremerton Washington, has published an article on the advantages of methadone replacement therapy in dealing with Washington State's opioid addiction problem. The article reporter is Josh Farley, and he did a nice job of presenting the facts around methadone's benefits.

Josh interviewed Ron Jackson, the Executive Director of Evergreen Treatment Services, an opioid treatment clinic in Seattle, Washington. In the article (and embedded video), Mr. Jackson describes how methadone treatment incorporates counseling, and is not just medication-assistance alone. The general tone of the article was fair and fact-based, and it recognized the various ways in which methadone treatment participation helps to stabilize addicted individuals' lives. Articles of this nature are a welcome relief from the fear mongering that some media outlets resort to when referencing methadone.

For the Kitsap Sun report, several methadone clients came forward to share details of ...

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