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Chapter 5
Effectiveness of Methadone as a
Medical Treatment for Opioid Addiction
Judith Martin, M.D.
Key Questions About Methadone Maintenance Treatment
Medical interventions are judged first by their safety and by their
efficacy. Of course, price, and ease of administration also matter. For
example, even a very safe and effective medication would not be very
popular if it had to be delivered by intravenous infusion, of if it cost a
thousand dollars a day. But the most important questions that medical
researchers answer when they study a medication are: Does it work? Is
it safe?
The questions that patients ask about methadone reflect these
concerns: How is methadone better for me than using heroin? What
are the side effects? Will it take care of my craving for drugs?
Substantial research over 40 years answers these questions. We should
make it clear, though, that outcome statistics for methadone
maintenance are not just about the medication. There is no such thing
as ‘just methadone’ in the treatment of addiction in the US.
