Individuals with an opiate dependency can successfully manage their illness and be consistently productive.

Employees who receive methadone medication perform as well as any other employee.

Methadone information for employers.

There is considerable misinformation in society about methadone medication and the individuals who receive it. As an employer, it is important to become educated on the facts. And one fact is that there are many thousands of successful employees working productively everyday, in a wide variety of job settings, while taking methadone to treat their addictive disorder.

There are numerous medical conditions that may require daily medication (diabetes, epilepsy, heart disease), but which do not interfere with fulfillment of one's job responsibilities. Once a client is acclimated to methadone medication, they are indistinguishable from any other worker or employee. Judgment, knowledge, creativity, alertness, decision-making, motor coordination, physical stamina, and other measures of performance are unchanged as a result of receiving methadone.

Do I need to make special accommodations for an employee receiving methadone? No. Employees taking methadone can perform like any other employee.

Is methadone legal? Absolutely. It is legal, and widely prescribed throughout the world, not only for addiction treatment but also as an effective treatment for chronic pain management.

One of our employees has tested (+) for methadone on a company drug test. What does this mean? If the employee is receiving methadone by prescription from their physician, then the (+) result is to be expected, and should not be treated as an employee mistake or improper action. In this case, methadone is being medically prescribed for this patient and should constitute no cause for alarm. If necessary for the employer's record, the employee should be able to provide documentation from his or her physician verifying that he or she is receiving methadone by prescription.

Is it possible for an employee to test (+) for methadone on a drug screen while also testing (+) for a different opiate? Yes, it is possible. Methadone is a specific medication that is screened separately from other opioids. The presence of some other opioid would merit further examination as to why it was present.

We have an employee who has been receiving methadone for several years? Is this normal? Yes, it is normal. Many methadone patients will receive methadone medication for a number of years. Taking methadone daily for several years is similar to a diabetic individual taking daily insulin, or a patient with a heart condition taking Lipitor to reduce cholesterol levels. In other words, the medication is merely part of a larger health maintenance program.

Individuals in methadone treatment are able to work,
operate machinery, drive a vehicle, play,
socialize, and live as normally
as anyone else.