Extracted from the seed capsule of the opium poppy plant, opiates are a class of narcotics legally prescribed by health professionals for pain relief in the form of morphine. Morphine can be chemically altered to produce heroin, which is used as a recreational drug that has a very high abuse potential.
Withdrawl Effects in Babies
A letter authored by R.E. Challis and J.W. Scopes to the editor of the journal "The Lancet" suggests the need for pregnant women on methadone to be warned about possible withdrawal symptoms in their babies. Symptoms in babies may include failure to gain weight or weight loss, seizures, irritability, and hyperactivity. Studies in rats have shown changes in certain neurotransmittor levels also. A study in "Neurotoxicology and Teratology" by Susan E. Robinson, Ph.D., et, al, suggests that in rats, prenatal and post natal exposure to methadone either increased or decreased prefrontal cortex dopamine levels in males and females, respectively. Norepinephrine levels were decreased in both sexes in the hippocampus and serotonin was increased in both sexes in the parietal cortex.
Neurological Effects
Methadone works as an agonist, which means that it binds to opioid receptors in the brain, just like endogenous opioids. In general, agonists increase the proportion of activated receptors. The brain is plastic and can alter the number of available receptors in response to ligand availability so after stopping methadone therapy, the complement of opioid receptors may change. There are few specific studies on the effects of methadone withdrawal on neurons in humans. However, Arto J. Hiltunen, Ph.D., in the Nordic Journal of Psychiatry reports that individuals who successfully taper off methadone treatments, as opposed to abruptly stopping or being unsuccessful at tapering, report overall higher subjective well-being.
Psychological Effects
Anxiety is a psychological disorder that is linked to several neurotransmittor systems, including dopamine, serotonin, and γ-Aminobutyric acid, known as GABA, as well as specific neuronal populations in the striatum, brain stem and fronto-cortical parts of the brain, according to a review by Susanne Nikolaus that was published in "Reviews in the Neurosciences." Methadone withdrawl symptoms, including anxiety, have been linked to the therapeutic dose of methadone, according to Anthony Glasper, et al., in a study published in the journal "Pharmacology."
References
- "The Nordic Journal of Psychiatry"; The First 38 Methadone Maintenance Treatment Patients in Stockholm: 15-year Follow-up With a Main Focus on Detoxification From Methadone; Arto J. Hiltunen, Ph.D., et al.; July 22, 2010
- "Reviews in the Neurosciences"; Cortical GABA, Striatal Dopamine and Midbrain Serotonin As the Key Players in Compulsive and Anxiety Disorders--Results From in vivo Imaging Studies; Susanne Nikolaus, et al.,
- "Pharmacology"; Influence of the Dose on the Severity of Opiate Withdrawal Symptoms During Methadone Detoxification; Anthony Glasper, et al.; October 19, 2007
- "Neurotoxicology and Teratology"; Perinatal Methadone Exposure Affects Dopamine, Norepinephrine, and Serotonin in the Weanling Rat; Susan E. Robinson, Ph.D., et al.; July-August 1997
- "The Lancet"; Late Withdrawal Symptoms in Babies Born to Methadone Addicts; R.E. Challis and J.W. Scopes; December 10, 1977
