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High-throughput and Comprehensive Drug Surveillance Using Multisegment Injection-Capillary Electrophoresis-Mass Spectrometry

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Published on: April 23, 2019

Methadone and impairment in apprehended drivers.

Jean-Paul Bernard¹, Jørg Mørland, Mette Krogh

¹Division of Forensic Toxicology and Drug Abuse, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway. jean.paul.bernard@fhi.no

Addiction (Abingdon, England)

|February 12, 2009

Summary

Driving impairment cases involving methadone alone are rare. Most drivers apprehended with methadone in their blood also used other drugs, and no clear link was found between methadone levels and impairment.

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Area of Science:

Forensic Toxicology
Pharmacology
Road Safety

Background:

Norwegian guidelines permit driving under opioid-assisted rehabilitation under specific conditions.
Investigating apprehended drivers with methadone in their blood is crucial for road safety.
Understanding the relationship between methadone concentration and driving impairment is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

To examine drivers apprehended with methadone in their blood.
To determine the correlation between blood methadone concentration and driving impairment using the Clinical Test of Impairment (CTI).

Main Methods:

Analysis of blood samples from drivers suspected of drug-impaired driving nationwide (2001-2006).
Identification of cases with methadone detected in blood samples.
Correlation analysis between methadone concentration and CTI results.

Main Results:

635 drivers with methadone in blood were identified; most were men aged 30-40.
Methadone was the sole psychoactive drug in only 10 cases; benzodiazepines were frequent (approx. 90%).
No concentration-impairment relationship was observed for methadone, alone or with other drugs.

Conclusions:

Driving impairment solely due to methadone is uncommon; combination use with other drugs is prevalent.
No correlation was found between blood methadone concentration and impairment as assessed by CTI.
Findings suggest that methadone's presence in drivers does not directly correlate with observed impairment levels.