What should healthcare professionals tell patients when prescribing methadone for pain?
• Pain relief from methadone does not last as long as methadone stays in your body. Therefore, do not to take more methadone than prescribed because methadone could build up in your body and cause death. • Methadone can cause life-threatening changes in breathing (it may slow or stop). • Methadone can cause life-threatening changes to the heart beat that may not be felt. • Seek medical attention right away if you experience symptoms suggestive of an arrhythmia such as palpitations, dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting or if you experience symptoms suggestive of a methadone overdose such as slow or shallow breathing; extreme tiredness or sleepiness; blurred vision; inability to think, talk or walk normally; and feeling faint, dizzy or confused. • Directions you should follow if your pain is not controlled after taking the prescribed amount of methadone. • Pain relief from methadone should last longer after you have taken it for awhile. • Tell your doctor if you start or stop other me