Methadone Half Life
Methadone
is a synthetic opioid used for analgesia and in opiate replacement programs,
also called methadone clinics. Methadone
is a central nervous system depressant.
Methadone toxicity occurs
when the load of methadone in a
person’s system, is so great that it slows down
the respiratory drive—the drive to breathe.
Thousands of patients die each year in
every state from methadone toxicity,
because methadone can have a
variable half life among
individuals. This means that one patient
may eliminate half of the methadone
from his body in only 9 hours, while another may eliminate half the methadone from his body only after 100 hours. If a person has a slow metabolism of methadone, and takes several days to eliminate just half
of it, then repeated dosing on a
daily basis can lead to a toxic, or poisonous buildup.
.
For more information about the proper starting dose of methadone, go to www.methadonelaw.com or www.overdoselaw.com and click on
“Contact Us.” We can provide this
information free of charge, or consult with you about the proper starting dose,
or whether the methadone dose your family member received was a methadone overdose, and whether there is a legal claim for wrongful death as a result.
