Accidental Overdosing in Patients with Take-Home Methadone – A Case Series
Methadone maintenance therapy is administered at designated centers in India as “daily observed treatment” regimen. During the COVID-19 pandemic, guidelines were relaxed, and take-home methadone was allowed for 5–7 days. We discuss three cases of accidental methadone overdose among the patients who...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Annals of Indian Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/aip.aip_156_23 |
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| Summary: | Methadone maintenance therapy is administered at designated centers in India as “daily observed treatment” regimen. During the COVID-19 pandemic, guidelines were relaxed, and take-home methadone was allowed for 5–7 days. We discuss three cases of accidental methadone overdose among the patients who were on take-home dispensing. Among three cases, overdose was experienced by the patient himself in one case, while in the second one, it was by 2-year-old child of the patient, and in the third one, by the patient’s wife which proved fatal. Increasing number of treatment centers is likely to take up take-home policies owing to the ease and comfort of the patients. There is an urgent need to develop interventions which can be useful in supervising take-home dispensing and reducing the potential overdosing incidents. |
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| ISSN: | 2588-8358 |