Methadone: Methadone Symptoms & Side Effects

Question: Do i have to dissolve my 40mg tablets of methadone? why am i not supposed to chew and/or swallow them?

(Posted by: Edward on 2010-08-09 11:39:46)

I have been on methadone maintenance for about 3 years now & I just gained something called Step 30 which means that I don't have to go in to the clinic every day anymore. Instead, I come in once a month to pick up a months worth of pills. When I went in to the clinic I was getting liquid methadone, but now I have the Methadose 40mg Methadone Hydrochloride Tablets For Oral Suspension USP. On a different label they are also called Methadone HCL 40mg Diskettes. I'm told that I am not supposed to chew and/ or swallow them before I dissolve them in water. Unfortunetly, they taste horrible and even mixing them in OJ is nasty. My question is, why can't I break them up & swallow them, & if I did what would be the worst thing that could happen? If I do absolutely have to dissolve them first, do you have any advice on a less painful way to administer them? Thanks!

Posted by: Davy Crockett on 2010-08-09, 19:35:15

Reason why they say not to swallow them whole is because it will act like a Immediate release, Which is not the purpose of the diskettes. Its supposed to be mixed with a solution becuse it was made to get mixed with the solution and when you drink it, the acids in your stomach will dissolve the solution slowly,. acting more like a sustained release. since your doing a methadone maintenance, i would recommend you just dissolving in water.

Posted by: Brian on 2010-08-11, 12:05:55

I have had the liquid methadone & the wafers. I also had trouble drinking the dissolved solution. I experimented taking them in different ways & found that if you break them up into 1/ 4 pieces or 1/ 8 pieces & swallow them that you won't notice a difference between that & dissolving them.