[Melis11577]

I'm writing to you about the methadone epidemic taking place in the United States .
I am writing on behalf of HARMD (Helping America Reduce Methadone Deaths). We are the families of victims and those yet to be victims of methadone. www.HARMD.org I have come together with many other families throughout the United States who have lost loved ones to methadone.

On June 24th 2006 I lost my fiancé (Ron) to methadone prescribed by a physician with a combination of other medications that acted as additives to the Methadone. He was a professional Jai Alai player at Hamilton Downs Jai Alai in Jasper, FL and had knee surgery after an injury on the court. He became addicted to the percocet he was prescribed. He checked hi mself into Greenleaf in Valdosta , GA (part of South Georgia Medical Center ) for detoxification. Upon entering the facility he was drug tested and did not come up positive for opiates or any other drugs (he had stopped taking the percocet 4 days before entering the facility). He was prescribed by a Dr. excessive amounts of methadone (for a person without a known tolerence) with valium and Klonopin. On the fourth day in detox he died sometime between 2am and 1pm in the afternoon (he was never checked on in all of those hours). When hi s body was found at 1pm he was already in rigor mortis. He was extremely neglected bordering abusive considering he was supposed to be monitored every 1/2 hour according to hi s medical charts. The night before he died he was complaining of migraines and vomiting, apparently the staff thought he was still experiencing withdrawals (but again he had NO drugs in hi s system upon entering the facility) and was not concerned about these symptoms. The symptoms of methadone toxicity mimic withdrawal symptoms; physicians and staff must be very cognizant of the complex properties and metabolization of methadone. There were many errors made in my fiancé's death including the fact that he was given numerous amounts of additive medications such as benzodiazepines (valium and klonapin). He had only been taking percocet for about 4 months and according to the DSM IV he wouldn't be an appropriate candidate methadone maintenance treatment.

We are asking government agencies to enact stricter guidelines in prescribing methadone for any reason. It must be mandatory that all doctors be certified and trained in the pharmacology of methadone; inpatient stays must be required during induction to methadone; all staff be extensively trained in monitoring methadone patients for symptoms of toxicity. Clinic patients should be tested for legal and illegal drugs that are taken with methadone to get “high” or experience “euphoria” such as benzodiazepines, alcohol, cocaine, heroin, marijuana etc… and face severe consequences / mandatory detoxification from methadone program. When presenting inebriated at clinic, clinic should also document such activity as well as prevent client from driving. Take home doses for all patients receiving methadone should be eliminated thus preventing the risk of diversion or precautions such as pill safe should be implemented. http://www.thepillsafe.com/

Current statistics show that nearly 4000 people a year die from methadone. These deaths are mostly happening to pain management and detoxification patients within the first 10 days of taking initial dose. Most of these deaths are related to methadone prescribed with other medications that react as additives with the methadone. Diversion of methadone is a serious problem because it lands this most deadly drug on streets. Statistics also state that methadone is contributing to more deaths nationwide then heroine and only second to cocaine deaths.

The government did take notice after the 2003 record number of deaths associated with methadone and the Bush administration responded by gathering the top experts on drug overdoses, doctors, researchers, and medical examiners, as well as representatives from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, Food and Drug Administration, and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Association. Finn and Tuckwiller (2006) report that “the man hired to research and write the report based on the conference, as well as background paper for conference participants, was Stewart B. Leavitt, and addiction specialist whose work is funded by the makers of methadone”. Stewart B. Leavitt PhD served as researcher/writer for A National Assessment of Methadone-Associated Mortality: Background Briefing Report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Stewart B Leavitt also writes Addiction Treatment Forum Methadone Dosing & Safety in the Treatment of Opioid Addiction which is funded by Mallinckrodt, Inc. a manufacturer of methadone. My question is why hasn't a team of independent researchers not funded by pharmaceutical companies; a person or group of people that stand to gain no financial benefit on the outcome of the studies been hired to conduct the research? Finn and Tuckwiller (2006) report that “the man hired to research and write the report based on the conference, as well as background paper for conference participants, was Stewart B. Leavitt, and addiction specialist whose work is funded by the makers of methadone”. Stewart B. Leavitt PhD served as researcher/writer for A National Assessment of Methadone-Associated Mortality: Background Briefing Report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Stewart B Leavitt also writes Addiction Treatment Forum Methadone Dosing & Safety in the Treatment of Opioid Addiction which is funded by Mallinckrodt, Inc. a manufacturer of methadone. On the forum associated with his website several of the clinic participants speak of diverting, misusing, stockpiling, selling, and potentiating methadone and other prescription drugs.

This methadone epidemic and deaths associated with it are not going away. It's only getting worse; I get contacted by families on a daily basis who have lost someone to this drug. At what point do we value human life over the convenience of others? Methadone patients, whether they are pain or clinic pose a risk to themselves and society as a whole if they are not monitored, dosed, and assessed correctly. Clinic patients getting into cars after being dosed who are using benzodiazepines, alcohol, marijuana or other opiates are killing innocent people on the road. This type of harm reduction is not saving lives it’s taking them. The government cannot continue to be a legal drug dealer in order for its citizens to “behave”.

I know the rules are in place for the clinics but they are NOT being followed. Patients sell take homes outside the clinics. In one news article a man died in the parking lot of a clinic after taking his brothers take home. This drug is too dangerous to be allowed in medicine cabinets! There is A LOT of money to be made from methadone but what expense is that money being made at? When do the risks outweigh the benefits of this drug? How many more people must die before changes are made that actually save lives?
I have called several methadone clinics and have found out that many do not test for marijuana and are not open 7 days a week. These two things are of special concern to my organization because all methadone patients will receive a take home bottle of methadone on Saturday for Sunday (the day they are closed) whether they are new to the program or have been abusing other drugs. Marijuana and methadone have an effect on the user very similar to heroin. Many clinics do not test for marijuana because it is not believed to be a drug of choice or a "hard drug", I beg to differ because of the effect when combining the two have the potential to be more dangerous then the user/staff is aware. This poses a serious public health risk to those on the road innocently driving to work or school.
The state of Delaware has just added Methadone to the list of medications covered under the Medicaid program that require prior authorization for pain treatment. The potential of abuse, diversion, and overdose to new patients being prescribed methadone is overwhelming. The unique properties of methadone, it's long half life, short analgesic properties, cardiac risks and it's negative interaction with numerous drugs make it an optimal choice as a last result treatment for chronic pain.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.

Sincerely

Melissa Zuppardi

[thimble222]

Hi I just wanted to let you know that my sister lived in bainbridge ga
not to far from valdosta.
the same thing happened to her. she was taking 70 prescribed perocets a month . the doctor quit giving them to her and set her up to start going to the methadone clinic in bainbridge every morning.
she had a huge weight gain and her blood pressure was very high after just a few months taking methadone.
she died 1 year almost to the date of entering the clinic. she quit breathing in her sleep and started choking on her own body fluid.
its heart breaking .
there are so many deaths related to methadone.
I am so sorry for you loss.
thimble

[perkyhusband]

i'm sorry to hear about both your losses. reading your stories concern me. my husband sister is 28 yrs old she just had a baby last month who was addicted to herion and methodone. the baby is still in the hospital and my sister in law is on a pain management program they had her on 30 mg of methodone now she's on 80mg. it seems after we found out she was pregnant and told my in laws she went and seek help so hopfully she has learned her lesson but now what about her being on methodone. can she get off of it? or is it something you need to take for a long period of time?

[CairoKid]

I bet your sister is better off on Methadone than abusing drugs (possibly illegally). Methadone, when taken properly, can be a life saver. You are chained to the clinic...driving there every morning, but better than the alternative. There is no high- first day or two, maybe a little sleepy. Best of all, it kills cravings for H, pain pills, etc...

[CairoKid]

Melis:
It wasn't only methadone- he was killed by a combination of meds. Why 2 benzodiazepenes? You sure one wasn't clonodine and not Klonopin? They sometimes give clnodine to opioid addicts in withdrawal- helps with blood pressure (someone else might know more than me about clonodine).

CairoKid.

[CairoKid]

Melis:
your logic, such as it is, would mean we ban alcohol too. Some kids sniff oven cleaner, do we ban it? Gotta ban hanguns, they kill more than any drug. Methadone has good uses, your fiancee was mistreated apparantly. As I said: why 2 benzos?
Could you cite which study you got those figures from- how many died from methadone and heroin and coke. Which study or book are you quoting? Just curious.

[CairoKid]

Melis:
Re. Dr. Leavitt- half the drug studies are done by people with vested interests in the drug or the laws regarding the drug. Happens a lot.

[Melis11577]

The HARMD organization isn't trying to ban methadone at all please check out the website at www.HARMD.org

here are some stats on methadone deaths they have come directly from the CDC and are linked on HARMD

Our government calls Methadone the "gold standard" in treatment.

there are between 800,000 & 900,000 (some stats give diff numbers) heroin addicts in the U.S and 1,881 people died from heroin in the U.S. in 2004.

there are 200,000 people on methadone for drug treatment and I don't have the number of people on it for pain but even if we double the 200,000 and assume it's 400,000 total people on methadone there were 3,849 deaths in 2004

It looks like the "gold standard" if killing more then the drug its supposed to save people from!!!!

Every day 10.9 people die from Methadone (according to 2004 stats)

Thimble

I'm so sorry about your sister I have met several others in GA that have lost someone to methadone either from clinic or doctor. Conact me if you would like to get in touch with them. You can email me through HARMD

Melis

[Melis11577]

Originally Posted by CairoKid

Melis:
It wasn't only methadone- he was killed by a combination of meds. Why 2 benzodiazepenes? You sure one wasn't clonodine and not Klonopin? They sometimes give clnodine to opioid addicts in withdrawal- helps with blood pressure (someone else might know more than me about clonodine).

CairoKid.

nope definetly Klonopin...thats what was prescribed and dosed according to the medical records

www.harmd.org

[CairoKid]

Melis: You are emotionally involved. I'm sorry about your fiancee. He abused drugs and tragedy ensued.
Are we going to ban cars because accidents? Kids sniff glue? Do we ban it? Guns kill over 20,000 Americans each year, but we got to be able to have them- it's in the Constituation (I'm just making a point- I'm for gun control). Why would a person want an automatic weapon? Melis- there is a good cause for you. Automatic weaqpons- made expressly to kill! Drugs aren't going anywhere. All those local, county,state, federal (DEA) drug agents need a job. That's why they're on doctor's back's who prescribe pain medicine. The Law Enforcement crowd wants drugs out of the clinic and in the street where they can make busts and play cowboys. Then you got lawyers, counselors, experts, medical people, prison guards, prison builders- all these peole want drugs around- they have a vested interest. It's good for business. Are you getting the picture? No one cares about any individual case (unless it's their case). This whole Drug WAR is about money and power- the root of just about everything. War in Iraq? About oil- oil equals money. Sheesh...I could go on, but I'm tired.
Sorry for your loss.
Take care.

[CairoKid]

Originally Posted by Melis11577

nope definetly Klonopin...thats what was prescribed and dosed according to the medical records

www.harmd.org

So why 2 benzo? Did you ask?

[jeffjdm1]

Originally Posted by Melis11577

I'm writing to you about the methadone epidemic taking place in the United States .
I am writing on behalf of HARMD (Helping America Reduce Methadone Deaths). We are the families of victims and those yet to be victims of methadone. www.HARMD.org I have come together with many other families throughout the United States who have lost loved ones to methadone.

On June 24th 2006 I lost my fiancé (Ron) to methadone prescribed by a physician with a combination of other medications that acted as additives to the Methadone. He was a professional Jai Alai player at Hamilton Downs Jai Alai in Jasper, FL and had knee surgery after an injury on the court. He became addicted to the percocet he was prescribed. He checked hi mself into Greenleaf in Valdosta , GA (part of South Georgia Medical Center ) for detoxification. Upon entering the facility he was drug tested and did not come up positive for opiates or any other drugs (he had stopped taking the percocet 4 days before entering the facility). He was prescribed by a Dr. excessive amounts of methadone (for a person without a known tolerence) with valium and Klonopin. On the fourth day in detox he died sometime between 2am and 1pm in the afternoon (he was never checked on in all of those hours). When hi s body was found at 1pm he was already in rigor mortis. He was extremely neglected bordering abusive considering he was supposed to be monitored every 1/2 hour according to hi s medical charts. The night before he died he was complaining of migraines and vomiting, apparently the staff thought he was still experiencing withdrawals (but again he had NO drugs in hi s system upon entering the facility) and was not concerned about these symptoms. The symptoms of methadone toxicity mimic withdrawal symptoms; physicians and staff must be very cognizant of the complex properties and metabolization of methadone. There were many errors made in my fiancé's death including the fact that he was given numerous amounts of additive medications such as benzodiazepines (valium and klonapin). He had only been taking percocet for about 4 months and according to the DSM IV he wouldn't be an appropriate candidate methadone maintenance treatment.

We are asking government agencies to enact stricter guidelines in prescribing methadone for any reason. It must be mandatory that all doctors be certified and trained in the pharmacology of methadone; inpatient stays must be required during induction to methadone; all staff be extensively trained in monitoring methadone patients for symptoms of toxicity. Clinic patients should be tested for legal and illegal drugs that are taken with methadone to get “high” or experience “euphoria” such as benzodiazepines, alcohol, cocaine, heroin, marijuana etc… and face severe consequences / mandatory detoxification from methadone program. When presenting inebriated at clinic, clinic should also document such activity as well as prevent client from driving. Take home doses for all patients receiving methadone should be eliminated thus preventing the risk of diversion or precautions such as pill safe should be implemented. http://www.thepillsafe.com/

Current statistics show that nearly 4000 people a year die from methadone. These deaths are mostly happening to pain management and detoxification patients within the first 10 days of taking initial dose. Most of these deaths are related to methadone prescribed with other medications that react as additives with the methadone. Diversion of methadone is a serious problem because it lands this most deadly drug on streets. Statistics also state that methadone is contributing to more deaths nationwide then heroine and only second to cocaine deaths.

The government did take notice after the 2003 record number of deaths associated with methadone and the Bush administration responded by gathering the top experts on drug overdoses, doctors, researchers, and medical examiners, as well as representatives from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, Food and Drug Administration, and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Association. Finn and Tuckwiller (2006) report that “the man hired to research and write the report based on the conference, as well as background paper for conference participants, was Stewart B. Leavitt, and addiction specialist whose work is funded by the makers of methadone”. Stewart B. Leavitt PhD served as researcher/writer for A National Assessment of Methadone-Associated Mortality: Background Briefing Report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Stewart B Leavitt also writes Addiction Treatment Forum Methadone Dosing & Safety in the Treatment of Opioid Addiction which is funded by Mallinckrodt, Inc. a manufacturer of methadone. My question is why hasn't a team of independent researchers not funded by pharmaceutical companies; a person or group of people that stand to gain no financial benefit on the outcome of the studies been hired to conduct the research? Finn and Tuckwiller (2006) report that “the man hired to research and write the report based on the conference, as well as background paper for conference participants, was Stewart B. Leavitt, and addiction specialist whose work is funded by the makers of methadone”. Stewart B. Leavitt PhD served as researcher/writer for A National Assessment of Methadone-Associated Mortality: Background Briefing Report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Stewart B Leavitt also writes Addiction Treatment Forum Methadone Dosing & Safety in the Treatment of Opioid Addiction which is funded by Mallinckrodt, Inc. a manufacturer of methadone. On the forum associated with his website several of the clinic participants speak of diverting, misusing, stockpiling, selling, and potentiating methadone and other prescription drugs.

This methadone epidemic and deaths associated with it are not going away. It's only getting worse; I get contacted by families on a daily basis who have lost someone to this drug. At what point do we value human life over the convenience of others? Methadone patients, whether they are pain or clinic pose a risk to themselves and society as a whole if they are not monitored, dosed, and assessed correctly. Clinic patients getting into cars after being dosed who are using benzodiazepines, alcohol, marijuana or other opiates are killing innocent people on the road. This type of harm reduction is not saving lives it’s taking them. The government cannot continue to be a legal drug dealer in order for its citizens to “behave”.

I know the rules are in place for the clinics but they are NOT being followed. Patients sell take homes outside the clinics. In one news article a man died in the parking lot of a clinic after taking his brothers take home. This drug is too dangerous to be allowed in medicine cabinets! There is A LOT of money to be made from methadone but what expense is that money being made at? When do the risks outweigh the benefits of this drug? How many more people must die before changes are made that actually save lives?
I have called several methadone clinics and have found out that many do not test for marijuana and are not open 7 days a week. These two things are of special concern to my organization because all methadone patients will receive a take home bottle of methadone on Saturday for Sunday (the day they are closed) whether they are new to the program or have been abusing other drugs. Marijuana and methadone have an effect on the user very similar to heroin. Many clinics do not test for marijuana because it is not believed to be a drug of choice or a "hard drug", I beg to differ because of the effect when combining the two have the potential to be more dangerous then the user/staff is aware. This poses a serious public health risk to those on the road innocently driving to work or school.
The state of Delaware has just added Methadone to the list of medications covered under the Medicaid program that require prior authorization for pain treatment. The potential of abuse, diversion, and overdose to new patients being prescribed methadone is overwhelming. The unique properties of methadone, it's long half life, short analgesic properties, cardiac risks and it's negative interaction with numerous drugs make it an optimal choice as a last result treatment for chronic pain.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.

Sincerely

Melissa Zuppardi

Even as a former addict... I KNOW the worst things you can combine with Metodone are Benzos... It doesnt matter what type. At the clinic I went to there were extremely strick guide lines when you tested positive for Benzos. They would do a "quick" detox from the Meth & throw you off the program for the reason you stated above. It can contribute to death.
Some where along the line the Doctor that presribed the combo of Rx is responsable and should be held accountable in one way or another.
So sorry to here about your lose.

[MAT_saves_lives]

Although Prohibition ended 70 years ago, a new agenda of temperance is alive and well and growing at an incredible rate. With the advent of the internet the development of new citizen groups loosely modeled after "Mothers Against Drunk Driving" we have found Methadone maintenance, highly structured with 50 years of proven efficacy, at the center of a new debate. In the media and online a lot of scary claims are being thrown around. The most dangerous of these are not those that are false; we who are reliant on Methadone assisted treatment are quick to debunk those. Rather, the dangerous ones are those that are true or partially true when there is no research that shows the cause and effect and that's being implied. These groups are hell bent on perpetuating the myth that methadone is "trading one addiction for another" or that it's a "number #2 killer" all the while portraying the professional working men and women who have found a new life thanks to the availablity of methadone maintenance programs as people who use your tax dollars to feed their addictions and support their immoral lifestyles. They paint a picture of uneducated, mentally unstable street people driving recklessly between the clinic and the ghetto, robbing little old ladies and running over unsuspecting school children, a trail of dead bodies in their wake. Noone escapes their judgemental criticism. The Doctors and clinicians are no better than the evil street pusher, derelict doctors out for money randomly give away free drugs at ridiculously high doses, supplying the community with such a glut of free methadone that it's almost forced upon the young innocent children in our communities. How else can these people come to terms with the thought that their loved one may have had some responsibility in their own death?

This newest group, HARMD ("Helping America Reduce Methadone Deaths") is fueled by anger and grief. Their apparent spokesperson, Melissa Zuppardi, constantly makes misleading statements about the number of people killed in methadone related deaths in an apparent effort to exaggerate the extent of the problem and enhance fundraising and legislative lobbying efforts. There is simply no legitimate reason to insist falsely that methadone related deaths are a growing epidemic. In many of these cases methadone is scape-goated, pointed to as the "cause" of death regardless of what other drugs or factors exist.

Methadone maintenance treatment gives those of us who have struggled with opiate and heroin addiction a fighting chance to take our lives back. Some stay on maintenance for the rest of their lives. Others slowly titrate down after years, even decades, of treatment. Studies done by Dr. Kreek and others have shown that Methadone heals damage done by heroin use and when taken over the long term can reinstate endorphin function making it an ideal drug for some. Granted, there is no shortage of people just "out for a high" giving Methadone a bad name; and no, we are not all Boy Scouts, but we are good people who deserve to use a medication that has worked for us and many before us. Just because it doesn't work for you, or because someone wasn't careful doesn't mean you have to put all your energy into a senseless War On Drugs, putting MORE restrictions on a drug that people are using to save their lives with. Neo-prohibition is NOT the answer.

Methadone maintenance treatment has had clear benefits in reducing heroin abuse and its medical and psychosocial complications, it is medically safe to use on a long-term basis, and may have broad benefits for the disrupted biology that is associated with heroin abuse. Do not buy the fake science, pumped up statistics and misleading rhetoric of these groups. Stricter laws will only make treatment less accessable, more lives will be lost, and those loved ones we have lost will not be brought back.


Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.
Methadone Patients Against Hysteria and Further Restrictions
Please sign the petition:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takea...360731625/sign

[chris235]

THIS IS WHY ALL DOCS AND THE BOTTLE OF METHADONE CLEARY STATES DO NOT TAKE WHILE TAKING ANYOTHER MEDICATION if you take the perscribed amount without mixing it with god knows what else-benzo's other opiates ANY thing that causes drowsiness then you will be fine almost everyone that dies from methadone mixes it with other drugs and im sorry but that isnt anyones fault but their own.So quit making a big deal about and ruining it for the people that take it correctly because it does help when its not abused

[KiGhost]

This makes me realize how lucky I am not to be one of those 4000 people. Days of taking 6-10 40mg wafers and nights of mixing it with Johnny Walker and being told that I sound like 'Darth Vader' when I sleep are now more scary to me than before. I had no idea that so many deaths had occurred because of this Third Reich generated devil.

Thank you for the information. My prayers go out to all of the addicted, those who are trying to overcome, and those who need help and I pray for those who can help others to do so.

Thanks again.

Ki.

[KiGhost]

I just can't understand why you would even leave a message like this. I will pray that you can see everything from another view-point and that you never have to suffer the way that some of these other people have.

Ki

[MMT63]

What kind of a Quack prescribes methadone and benzos together to a patient with no opiates in his system!? Its not methadones fault, its the Quacks fault and if it wasn't for methadone I would be dead from the oxy and morphine and fentanyl I became hooked on because of a work injury 8yrs ago. Also because of information I heard from people who were ignorant on the subject of methadone, I lived and my family lived through hell for years before I finally went and got the help I needed so desparately. Methadone used properly saves so many lives and so many people die needlessly because of the ignorance. I was almost one of these people, methadone SAVED my life. Im so sorry for your loss but the doctor was at fault not the methadone.

[gerstner23]

while i mean no disrespect to those that have died and the familys that have to suffer but what no one cares to talk about or even mention is methadone is the most widley investigated drug on the face of the earth you dont prescribe it for close to 50 years now and have problems like with all drugs some people want handle there doses some will divert and people die not use to the power but overall methadone has a 98.6 percent rate most mose then anyother drug including over the counter crugs like tylenol advil and such so tradgedy yes but who reports on the 1700 people that die every year from acetophetomein toxicity or tylenol overdose no one this is a smer campain because someone lost a loved one had you not lost tath loved one you would be fine another neat fact 70 to 80 percent of methadone deaths are on the takers alone now i know that leaves 20 percent doctor error but when you put in another 15 percent of the patients telling there doctors falsehoods what to do so i do reconize doctor in the scheme of thing probally mess up 5 percent of the time with methadone now you got 450,000 users and only 4000 dead and 3000 of them were not even to have the drug so legitimate people prescribed methadone out of 450,000 user you can expexct 100 dead and out of the thousand dead that are prescribed it at least 500 of them took it agaianst docotrs order so here is what we are left with 450,000 methadone users and 500 dead from prescribing methods about 1/900 or so can die i take them chances since they favor with any other substance we put in our body just do you facts i know you are suffring and some of you have complete problems with the doctors not doing there jobs but it is few and far between just like tylenol go pick on them because last time i checked the 1700 or so that died from tylenol lst year was doing nothing for them while the 450,000 patient of methadone is saving lives and has been for close to 50 years pick a different topic because you are just wrong on this one brad g

[ispkblues]

Well, well...Here she goes again! Melis is all about how evil methadone is cuz her loved one died from a combination of drugs. Although I am truly sorry for anyone's loss of a loved one, it does not make the drugs themselves evil. Methadone has saved more lives BY FAR than anything else.
This will not be addressed again by me, as far as the methadone's pros & cons; at least not in this thread... But as you're right from your side, I'm right from mine. We will likely never agree on this topic, but for me harmd is just that, harmful & unfair.
I sincerely offer my condolences to those who have lost loved ones; I have too... So thanx for the opportunity to post, take care all!

[JEP-IPMFOSIS]

I would guess the number of methadone related deaths of people who take it as prescribed is very very low. Banning Methadone is not the answer. The benefits of this drug as well as other pain meds (when used as directed for what its intended for) far outweigh the risks of overdosing or dying. As far as the people that use it recreationally, if they couldn't get Methadone they would just use something else. (other prescription drugs or heroin or ?...) The total number of deaths wont go down, they would just be distributed amongst the other drugs.

JP

PS... I have been in pain management for several years and have been prescribed Methadone (10mg tablets and later 40mg wafers) on many occasions, and have never had any problems with it other than the normal adverse side effects.

[warwickpetersweets]

I do feel bad for your loss, and there was some gross neglagence on the clinics part, you should not be demonizing methadone. When it is given correctly, it can be very helpfull. It saved my life. Methadone did not kill your husband, the clinic did

Originally Posted by Melis11577

I'm writing to you about the methadone epidemic taking place in the United States .
I am writing on behalf of HARMD (Helping America Reduce Methadone Deaths). We are the families of victims and those yet to be victims of methadone. www.HARMD.org I have come together with many other families throughout the United States who have lost loved ones to methadone.

On June 24th 2006 I lost my fiancé (Ron) to methadone prescribed by a physician with a combination of other medications that acted as additives to the Methadone. He was a professional Jai Alai player at Hamilton Downs Jai Alai in Jasper, FL and had knee surgery after an injury on the court. He became addicted to the percocet he was prescribed. He checked hi mself into Greenleaf in Valdosta , GA (part of South Georgia Medical Center ) for detoxification. Upon entering the facility he was drug tested and did not come up positive for opiates or any other drugs (he had stopped taking the percocet 4 days before entering the facility). He was prescribed by a Dr. excessive amounts of methadone (for a person without a known tolerence) with valium and Klonopin. On the fourth day in detox he died sometime between 2am and 1pm in the afternoon (he was never checked on in all of those hours). When hi s body was found at 1pm he was already in rigor mortis. He was extremely neglected bordering abusive considering he was supposed to be monitored every 1/2 hour according to hi s medical charts. The night before he died he was complaining of migraines and vomiting, apparently the staff thought he was still experiencing withdrawals (but again he had NO drugs in hi s system upon entering the facility) and was not concerned about these symptoms. The symptoms of methadone toxicity mimic withdrawal symptoms; physicians and staff must be very cognizant of the complex properties and metabolization of methadone. There were many errors made in my fiancé's death including the fact that he was given numerous amounts of additive medications such as benzodiazepines (valium and klonapin). He had only been taking percocet for about 4 months and according to the DSM IV he wouldn't be an appropriate candidate methadone maintenance treatment.

We are asking government agencies to enact stricter guidelines in prescribing methadone for any reason. It must be mandatory that all doctors be certified and trained in the pharmacology of methadone; inpatient stays must be required during induction to methadone; all staff be extensively trained in monitoring methadone patients for symptoms of toxicity. Clinic patients should be tested for legal and illegal drugs that are taken with methadone to get “high” or experience “euphoria” such as benzodiazepines, alcohol, cocaine, heroin, marijuana etc… and face severe consequences / mandatory detoxification from methadone program. When presenting inebriated at clinic, clinic should also document such activity as well as prevent client from driving. Take home doses for all patients receiving methadone should be eliminated thus preventing the risk of diversion or precautions such as pill safe should be implemented. http://www.thepillsafe.com/

Current statistics show that nearly 4000 people a year die from methadone. These deaths are mostly happening to pain management and detoxification patients within the first 10 days of taking initial dose. Most of these deaths are related to methadone prescribed with other medications that react as additives with the methadone. Diversion of methadone is a serious problem because it lands this most deadly drug on streets. Statistics also state that methadone is contributing to more deaths nationwide then heroine and only second to cocaine deaths.

The government did take notice after the 2003 record number of deaths associated with methadone and the Bush administration responded by gathering the top experts on drug overdoses, doctors, researchers, and medical examiners, as well as representatives from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, Food and Drug Administration, and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Association. Finn and Tuckwiller (2006) report that “the man hired to research and write the report based on the conference, as well as background paper for conference participants, was Stewart B. Leavitt, and addiction specialist whose work is funded by the makers of methadone”. Stewart B. Leavitt PhD served as researcher/writer for A National Assessment of Methadone-Associated Mortality: Background Briefing Report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Stewart B Leavitt also writes Addiction Treatment Forum Methadone Dosing & Safety in the Treatment of Opioid Addiction which is funded by Mallinckrodt, Inc. a manufacturer of methadone. My question is why hasn't a team of independent researchers not funded by pharmaceutical companies; a person or group of people that stand to gain no financial benefit on the outcome of the studies been hired to conduct the research? Finn and Tuckwiller (2006) report that “the man hired to research and write the report based on the conference, as well as background paper for conference participants, was Stewart B. Leavitt, and addiction specialist whose work is funded by the makers of methadone”. Stewart B. Leavitt PhD served as researcher/writer for A National Assessment of Methadone-Associated Mortality: Background Briefing Report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Stewart B Leavitt also writes Addiction Treatment Forum Methadone Dosing & Safety in the Treatment of Opioid Addiction which is funded by Mallinckrodt, Inc. a manufacturer of methadone. On the forum associated with his website several of the clinic participants speak of diverting, misusing, stockpiling, selling, and potentiating methadone and other prescription drugs.

This methadone epidemic and deaths associated with it are not going away. It's only getting worse; I get contacted by families on a daily basis who have lost someone to this drug. At what point do we value human life over the convenience of others? Methadone patients, whether they are pain or clinic pose a risk to themselves and society as a whole if they are not monitored, dosed, and assessed correctly. Clinic patients getting into cars after being dosed who are using benzodiazepines, alcohol, marijuana or other opiates are killing innocent people on the road. This type of harm reduction is not saving lives it’s taking them. The government cannot continue to be a legal drug dealer in order for its citizens to “behave”.

I know the rules are in place for the clinics but they are NOT being followed. Patients sell take homes outside the clinics. In one news article a man died in the parking lot of a clinic after taking his brothers take home. This drug is too dangerous to be allowed in medicine cabinets! There is A LOT of money to be made from methadone but what expense is that money being made at? When do the risks outweigh the benefits of this drug? How many more people must die before changes are made that actually save lives?
I have called several methadone clinics and have found out that many do not test for marijuana and are not open 7 days a week. These two things are of special concern to my organization because all methadone patients will receive a take home bottle of methadone on Saturday for Sunday (the day they are closed) whether they are new to the program or have been abusing other drugs. Marijuana and methadone have an effect on the user very similar to heroin. Many clinics do not test for marijuana because it is not believed to be a drug of choice or a "hard drug", I beg to differ because of the effect when combining the two have the potential to be more dangerous then the user/staff is aware. This poses a serious public health risk to those on the road innocently driving to work or school.
The state of Delaware has just added Methadone to the list of medications covered under the Medicaid program that require prior authorization for pain treatment. The potential of abuse, diversion, and overdose to new patients being prescribed methadone is overwhelming. The unique properties of methadone, it's long half life, short analgesic properties, cardiac risks and it's negative interaction with numerous drugs make it an optimal choice as a last result treatment for chronic pain.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.

Sincerely

Melissa Zuppardi