Methadone is a prescription drug, and is part of a group of drugs known as Opioids. Opioids are depressant drugs, which means they slow down the messages travelling between the brain and the rest of the body. Methadone is taken as a replacement for heroin and other opioids as part of treatment for dependence on these drugs. Replacing a drug of dependence with a prescribed drug in this way is known as pharmacotherapy.

As well as improving wellbeing by preventing physical withdrawal, pharmacotherapy helps to stabilise the lives of people who are dependent on heroin and other opioids, and to reduce the harms related to drug use. Methadone is also used to relieve pain following heart attacks, trauma and surgery.

• Maintenance (long-term programs): May last for months or years and aim to reduce the harms associated with drug use and improve quality of life.
• Withdrawal (short-term detoxification programs): Run for approximately 5-14 days and aim to ease the discomfort of stopping the use of heroin.les, powder or crystal.

For pain relief methadone is administered through an injection or tablets.

• Using methadone on its own is unlikely to result in an overdose.
• Methadone maintenance keeps the person stable while they make positive changes in their life.
• Health problems are reduced or avoided, especially those related to injecting, such as HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses, skin infections and vein problems.
• Doses are required only once a day, sometimes even less often, because methadone’s effects are long lasting.
• Methadone is much cheaper than heroin.