an opioid agonist which is well absorbed orally with a long half-life allowing once daily dosing
introduced in Australia for Rx of heroin dependence in 1964
pts attend a clinic or pharmacy each day to be given a supervised dose
detoxification is not required for pts starting methadone
psychosocial interventions are an important adjunct
as many as 85% will stay on methadone for 12mths & most require Rx for at least 2 yrs
pts retained in Rx on a larger dose & for a longer duration generally achieve better results
optimal dose is 60-100mg/day
important Rx factors include optimal dosing & the morale of clinic staff
programs are not available in the NT