Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 Jun;34(6):1039-1042.
doi: 10.1007/s11606-018-4801-3. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

Methadone Matters: What the United States Can Learn from the Global Effort to Treat Opioid Addiction

S L Calcaterra  1 , P Bach  2 , A Chadi  3 , N Chadi  4 , S D Kimmel  5 , K L Morford  6 , P Roy  7 , J H Samet  7
Affiliations
Review

Methadone Matters: What the United States Can Learn from the Global Effort to Treat Opioid Addiction

S L Calcaterra et al. J Gen Intern Med. 2019 Jun.

Abstract

In the midst of an opioid epidemic, mortality related to opioid overdose continues to rise in the US. Medications to treat opioid use disorder, including methadone and buprenorphine, are highly effective in reducing the morbidity and mortality related to illicit opioid use. Despite the efficacy of these life-saving medications, the majority of people with an opioid use disorder lack access to treatment. This paper briefly reviews the evidence to support the use of medications to treat opioid use disorder with a specific focus on methadone. We discuss the current state of methadone therapy for the treatment of opioid use disorder in the US and present logistical barriers that limit its use. Next, we examine three international pharmacy-based models in which methadone dispensing to treat opioid use disorder occurs outside of an opioid treatment facility. We discuss current challenges and opportunities to incorporate similar methods of methadone dispensing for the treatment of opioid use disorder in the US. Finally, we present our vision to integrate pharmacy-based methadone dispensing into routine opioid use disorder treatment through collaboration between clinicians and pharmacies to improve local access to this life-saving medication.

Keywords: methadone; opioid use disorder; opioids.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they do not have a conflict of interest.

References

    1. Ahmad FB, Rossen LM, Spencer MR, Warner M, Sutton P. Provisional drug overdose death counts. 2018.
    1. Administration SAaMHS. Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. SMA 17-5068, NSDUH Series H-53). In: Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality SAaMHSA, ed. Rockville, Maryland 2018.
    1. Mattick RP, Breen C, Kimber J, Davoli M. Methadone maintenance therapy versus no opioid replacement therapy for opioid dependence. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009(3). - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sordo L, Barrio G, Bravo MJ, et al. Mortality risk during and after opioid substitution treatment: systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. BMJ (Clinical research ed). 2017;357:j1550. doi: 10.1136/bmj.j1550. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Larochelle MR, Bernson D, Land T, et al. Medication for opioid use disorder after nonfatal opioid overdose and association with mortality: A cohort study. Ann Intern Med. 2018;169(3):137–145. doi: 10.7326/M17-3107. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms