methadone
Adjunctive therapy • Brands: Methadose, Dolophine
Last reviewed: 2025-12-30
General information
- Class: Adjunctive therapy
- Common US brands: Methadose, Dolophine
- Therapeutic drug monitoring not routinely recommended.
- Last reviewed: 2025-12-30
Dosing & forms
- Forms/strengths: —
- Frequency: —
- Food: —
- Typical range: —
Mechanism (brief)
Long-acting full μ-opioid receptor agonist used for opioid use disorder maintenance (in regulated opioid treatment programs) and for analgesia. Long and variable half-life can lead to accumulation and overdose risk if titration is too rapid (label/guideline).
Metabolism & Half‑life
- Metabolism: CYP2B6, CYP3A4, Other CYP enzymes (variable; label)
- Half‑life: Single-dose range 8–59 h
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM)
Recommended: No
Monitoring highlights
- —
Sources
- Methadone hydrochloride tablets prescribing information — DailyMed (2025)
- The ASAM National Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder: 2020 Focused Update — Journal of Addiction Medicine (2020)
- TIP 63: Medications for Opioid Use Disorder — SAMHSA (2021)
- Torsade de pointes associated with very-high-dose methadone — Annals of Internal Medicine (2002)