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Updated: Aug 13, 2026
07:23
Assessment of Morphine-induced Hyperalgesia and Analgesic Tolerance in Mice Using Thermal and Mechanical Nociceptive Modalities
Published on: July 29, 2014
[Use of methadone as analgesic]
1Unité d'Evaluation et de Traitement de la Douleur, Hôpital Laennec, Paris.
Annales De Medecine Interne
|June 16, 2000
Summary
Methadone, a potent opioid agonist, serves as an effective analgesic for cancer pain and opioid addiction treatment. Its unique fecal excretion pathway may offer a safer option for patients with renal disease.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Pain Management
- Addiction Medicine
Context:
- Methadone is a synthetic opioid agonist.
- It is primarily used for opioid maintenance therapy.
- Methadone also functions as a potent analgesic, four times more powerful than oral morphine.
Purpose:
- To explore the efficacy and safety of methadone as an analgesic, particularly in cancer pain.
- To discuss its role as an alternative to oral morphine when tolerance or side effects occur.
- To highlight its potential use in patients with renal disease.
Summary:
- Methadone is indicated for cancer pain, offering an alternative to oral morphine due to tolerance or metabolite accumulation.
- It exhibits wide inter-individual variability in half-life, requiring careful administration scheduling.
- Side effects are comparable to morphine.
- Methadone may be a safe and effective analgesic for renal disease patients, as metabolites are primarily excreted in feces.
Impact:
- Provides a comprehensive overview of methadone's therapeutic applications.
- Addresses the challenges of methadone administration due to pharmacokinetic variability.
- Suggests methadone as a potentially safer analgesic option for patients with impaired renal function.
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