Local methadone deaths rising

Subject: Local methadone deaths rising Wed Mar 31, 2010 7:27 am

I usually don't like these type of articles because most of them are so quick to blame methadone ALONE and MMT clients/clinics on the deaths. This is the first one I have ever read that actually TELLS THE TRUTH about methadone RELATED deaths. Moderator comments are in RED.

By Stephanie Taylor Staff Writer Published: Monday, March 29, 2010 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, March 28, 2010 at 11:26 p.m.

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20100329/NEWS/100329512/1007?p=all&tc=pgall&tc=ar

TUSCALOOSA | One morning in early January, investigators were called to an apartment in Tuscaloosa where a man was lying unresponsive on his couch.

A neighbor saw him through a window and called 911 when he realized something was wrong. The investigators weren't sure, but suspected the 31-year-old died from an overdose. Test results returned Thursday confirmed it — he died from a combination of methadone and drugs found in Xanax and Ambien.

It was the latest in what Capt. Loyd Baker sees as a troubling trend. The commander of the Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide Unit investigates all unnatural deaths in Tuscaloosa County, including drug overdoses.

“I began to notice methadone being listed on a lot of our autopsy reports that involved overdose deaths,” he said.

After researching, Baker found that since 2008, 24 of 41 drug overdoses in Tuscaloosa County involved methadone, and all but four included multiple drug toxicity. ALL BUT 4 included multiple substance other than methadone.

The narcotic is similar to morphine and was developed by Germans before World War II. It has been used successfully to treat heroin and opiate addiction. It reduces the craving in an addict's brain, and can be monitored by the methadone treatment clinics that disperse the medication.

“In the past, the majority of methadone was used for maintenance of narcotic
addicts,” said Dr. John Fisher, director of the Alabama Poison Center. “Over the last five to 10 years, much more methadone is being used for pain relief.”

Now that prescribing of the drug has become more widespread, doctors and medical examiners are noticing deaths from both improper use and abuse of methadone.

“If people take methadone as prescribed, there is no problem with toxicity,” said Dr. Jack Kalin, a toxicologist for the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences. “You don't really even have much of a problem with driving skills.” WHAT did he just say? OMG he said "if used properly it doesn't cause toxicity and there is not even a problem with driving skills" WT heck???

As a toxicologist with the state forensic sciences department, Kalin performs post-mortem analyses to determine what was in someone's system when they died.

“Valium and Xanax are popularly mixed with methadone,” he said. “It's not a good idea — it's a terrible idea. It can cause somnolence and lethargy to the point of respiratory arrest.

“ We don't see methadone by itself, it's always with two, three or up to a half dozen other substances.” Again, he says something we have been trying to tell everyone (the public) ALL along....it's not methadone by itself that is killing people.

Fisher said the combination of drugs reacts in the body to produce a deadly effect.

“You have two drugs that produce the same effect on your body, say drowsiness, but they do it from different mechanisms,” he said. “Combined, you get more of an additive effect of drowsiness.”

That can lead to respiratory arrest and death. There is also emerging evidence that methadone could cause cardiac toxicity, Fisher said.

People who undergo methadone maintenance therapy usually go to a clinic daily and receive a dose in a glass of juice. People who are prescribed methadone for pain management receive much smaller doses in a tablet form. More than 99 percent of overdoses are with those types of pills, Fisher said. People may be misusing the medication or selling it to people without prescriptions.
Right here he says that it is mostly coming from the PAIN pts who are selling and abusing methadone, NOT from the MMT clinics. 99% of all overdoses are from pills obtained from a pain mgt doc NOT the MMT clinics! But you can't get anyone from the public to believe that and certainly not anyone who has had a loved one die with methadone in their system ALONG WITH the other drugs they were abusing. Oh no, it is the former opiate addicts on methadone for MMT who are the problem!

The other drugs seen in most of the overdose deaths in Tuscaloosa County included sedatives, opiates, muscle relaxants and alcohol.
Kalin said in a recent case the person had several drugs, all at therapeutic levels, but combined, the effects were deadly.

In some instances, he said people will visit different doctors who prescribe them drugs for different symptoms — methadone for pain or Xanax for anxiety, for example. The doctors do not know of the other prescriptions.

“So you can easily see how you could get into trouble,” he said. “This happens more than it should happen.”

Tuscaloosa isn't the only place where methadone overdoses are on the rise.

“Statewide, methadone is strong. It's a staple around here,” Kalin said. “It's very, very popular. But again, the problem is when you mix it with other drugs.”

Subject: Re: Local methadone deaths rising Thu Apr 01, 2010 12:48 am

Wow RuthAnn
I am really impressed. You are right. So may times and most of the time all we read about when talking about deaths is Methadone. Methadone too many times seems to be the key word. Once that little word is said the rest goes out the window. Finally a news article that tells the whole story not just bits and pieces.
Thanks again RuthAnn
Dee

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