Methadone

Methadone can work for a wide variety of people with opioid use disorder, including individuals of different life circumstances, ages, and co-existing medical conditions.

Evidence for the intervention

Methadone is an FDA-approved, front-line, evidence-based treatment for opioid use disorder, with over 50 years of research studies supporting its effectiveness. Data supporting methadone comes from multiple rigorous, highly controlled, randomized clinical trials. Trials have generally found that methadone is more effective in higher doses and when delivered over a longer treatment duration. In systematic reviews, methadone has been consistently shown to improve treatment engagement, reduce heroin use, and reduce the risk of opioid overdose death. When compared head-to-head versus buprenorphine, methadone has similar effectiveness and may have slightly better treatment retention.

Evidence-based Scale

Methadone can work for a wide variety of people with opioid use disorder (OUD), including pregnant individuals and older adults. Methadone also works for individuals from a range of life circumstances and with an array of co-occurring conditions. Although adolescents with OUD can benefit from methadone, this medication is not used frequently in younger individuals due to its requirements for in-person daily dosing and need to obtain parent or guardian authorization for treatment.