Expert: Methadone Clinics Work, But At A Risk

A University of Chattanooga researcher says Methadone clinics can be effective in mitigating substance abuse, but not without risk of creating other issues.

S. Tyler Oberheim said Methadone has proven to be a great tool in reducing opioid withdrawal symptoms, hospitalizations, and fatalities since the 1950s. He said that after one month of treatment, Methadone has a higher retention rate than many other treatment options. However, Oberheim said people may seek out Methadone and sell it to purchase other, more dangerous opioids.

“It does have the potential for a potential cross-addiction,” Oberheim said. “So people could become addicted to it. That’s always a risk. And the withdrawals from Methadone are usually pretty intense because Methadone goes straight to your bone marrow. So, there’s always the potential that you could withdraw for months to years after you’ve used it.”

Cedar Recovery wants to open a Methadone Clinic in Putnam County and is currently seeking state approval. Oberheim said Methadone Clinics are a nationally recognized treatment method with a success rate on par with other treatment drugs. He said Methadone is also administered at controlled facilities, ensuring that it will not be laced with a more dangerous substance.

“Right now, we’re dealing with an opioid epidemic where everything, not even just opioids, but like meth and cocaine and just all that stuff is being laced with fentanyl,” Oberheim said. “And so, we’re really seeing that. So, someone that’s on Methadone and getting it from a Methadone clinic can ensure that what they’re getting is actually Methadone and a maintenance drug, and not something that’s laced with something else.”

He said most clinics require patients to take their doses daily, in person, eliminating the possibility that those patients will sell their doses on the street. He said Methadone also significantly reduces opioid cravings.

“I will say though, that if someone wants to come off Methadone and they’re not doing so well with the weening process, there’s a lot of substance abuse disorder treatment facilities that won’t take someone that’s on high doses of Methadone because of the withdrawal symptoms are so hard to manage,” Oberheim said.

He said in his six years of researching Methadone in Tennessee, it works, even given the potential for misuse.

Oberheim is an Assistant Professor and Clinical Coordinator at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.