What are the drawbacks of taking methadone for an ...

Taking methadone improperly will increase your risk of serious side effects or death. Even if you have used other narcotic medications, you may still have serious side effects from methadone. Follow all dosing instructions carefully.

Like other narcotic medicines, methadone can slow your breathing, even long after the pain-relieving effects of the medication wear off. Death may occur if breathing becomes too weak. Never use more methadone than your doctor has prescribed. Call your doctor if you think the medicine is not working.

Do not stop using methadone suddenly, or you could have unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. Talk to your doctor about how to avoid withdrawal symptoms when stopping the medication. Do not drink alcohol while you are taking methadone. Dangerous side effects or death can occur when alcohol is combined with methadone. Check your food and medicine labels to be sure these products do not contain alcohol. Methadone can cause side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.

Before taking methadone, talk to your doctor if you have:

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  a personal or family history of "Long QT syndrome";
• 
  asthma, COPD, sleep apnea, or other breathing disorders;
• liver or kidney disease;
• 
  underactive thyroid;
• 
  curvature of the spine;
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  a history of head injury or brain tumor;
• 
  epilepsy or other seizure disorder;
• 
  low blood pressure;
• 
  gallbladder disease;
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  Addison's disease or other adrenal gland disorders;
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  enlarged prostate, urination problems;
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  mental illness; or
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  a history of drug or alcohol addiction.

 Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

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  shallow breathing;
• 
  hallucinations or confusion; or
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  fast or pounding heartbeats, chest pain, trouble breathing, feeling light-headed, fainting.

Other, less serious side effects may be more likely to occur, such as:

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  feeling anxious, nervous, or restless;
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  sleep problems (insomnia);
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  dizziness, drowsiness, or weakness;
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  dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, loss of appetite; or
• 
  decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm.

This list is not complete and other side effects may occur. Tell your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect.

Good luck and best wishes. 

My younger brother is currently taking methodone for a painkiller addiction he's been fighting for almost 2 years now. He complains a lot about having to go to the clinic every morning to get the medication and he's extremely moody.

there is a much newer med out these days to help treat any kind of opiatie addiction.

it is called buprenorphine (suboxone)...i would recommend this over methadone any day. the difficulty is that there are not a lot of docs who can prescribe it, and each doc can only prescribe to 30 patients at any given time.

do a google search and try to locate a doc in your area.