Methadone

Methadone is another opium derivative, closely similar to heroin except that it doesn't produce the same level of euphoria and it is orally ingested rather than injected.  It is dispensed as a liquid in medically prescribed dosages at supervised clinics engaged in addict rehabilitation.  The substance is liberally diluted with orange juice (which effectively disguises its foul taste) and the strength of each dose is calculated in proportion to the individual recipient's heroin habit.

The toxicity of methadone is equal that that of heroin.  One example of its poisonous nature involves a heroin addict on methadone "maintenance" who kept a stash of laced orange juice in his refrigerator.  Unaware of the additive, a visiting relative helped himself to roughly two pints of the deadly juice.  He was found slumped over a table in a narcotized stupor.  His heart stopped beating en-route to the hospital.  Having unknowingly drank approximately a 1/2 gram of methadone, he died within an hour.

Because heroin (and methadone) is readily available through the street drug trade there have been numerous reported instance of deliberate homicide by the use of these substances.  Like methadone, heroin can be introduced to the system by oral ingestion, but taken in this manner its potency is considerably reduced.  However, a sufficient amount of either substance (1-2 grams), regardless of how it is introduced, will quickly kill the average non-addicted human.  Because of its comparatively prohibitive cost it is unlikely that murderers (other than dope dealers or assassins) would choose heroin over some other, relatively inexpensive poison.

Deliberate heroin (and methadone) overdose is gradually gaining popularity as a means of committing suicide or euthanasia because these substance enable one to drift away in a state of euphoria, rather than suffocating or drawing one's last breaths in agony.

In England, heroin has been adopted for legitimate use as an analgesic in cases of exceptionally painful, terminal illness because it is the most powerful, therefore, the most efficient of all known pain killers (e.i.-addicts, present or future, are probably extremely intolerant to any kind of pain).  At present, a number of American physicians are petitioning the FDA for similar authorization.  Dr. Kavorkian is not the only one.  As might be expected, opposition was very strong.

Obviously, there is great concern that if heroin became widely recognized for its benevolent potential, suicide and euthanasia statistics would rise sharply (or maybe it has).  It is a fact that while most people contemplate suicide at some time in their lives as well as euthanasia in the case of a terminally ill, love-one, the lack of a peaceful, painless method of terminating life is the primary inhibiting factor.

Question from a reader:
Had a close friend die recently, they say of methadone poisoning, the count at the liver was 5.1, she supposedly had been around it a matter of days. This seems terribly high!!! Any help??? Us, (family) looking for answers...
Rickiel

Answer from Randolph @ Spirit World:
Some call methadone "plastic morphine." We have >tried< to use it- off and on- for over 20 years as a substitute for opioids in the drug rehabilitation process. It is about as bad as opiods, in that one habituates to it about as fast and furious as the actual opiods! It requires increasingly heavy dosages to work, and really is NOT a useful tool to assist an opiod-dependent person to "get clean." Many physicians will not use it in drug rehabilitation due to its similar characteristics to natural opiods.

In considering the situation you briefly mentioned, I tentatively conclude that this artificial opiate was administered to relieve the pain of cancer, to a patient that was slowly dying. The idea of "methadone poisoning" raises a question: was this answer used instead of revealing that the patient died of cancer in terminal state? In such a case, the physician either knew of no "oasis" or did not refer to an "oasis" that uses working modalities to assist the patient to "get rid" of cancer.

Here are more important questions to ask:

Will assume this person was an addict? Was this person an inpatient or outpatient? Outpatients - just because they are on Methadone... will often still use. Was this person also an alcoholic? Methadone use - by the time an addict gets to that point, they have done some damage to their bodies - Especially the liver if also an alcoholic or possibly from Hepatitis C infection.

Then again,,, could have just been an allergic reaction or some combination drug reaction. Was this person on statins for cholesterol? Maybe another medication that is also very hard on the liver?

Sad to say, this person may have been just one of the other 1800 ( not making up that # !!) that died the same day as a consequence of their Medical treatment here in the US.

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