In blind trials, users who were given both drugs orally were unable to distinguish between the effects heroin and methadone.
Withdrawal from heroin should be over after seven to ten days. Withdrawal from methadone though, can take up to a month or even longer.
Many former heroin users have claimed that the horrors of heroin withdrawal were far less painful and difficult than withdrawal from methadone.
Methadone is a synthetic drug. It was first invented in Germany during the Second World War by scientists who, having discovered pethidine some years earlier, were developing other similar compounds.
The effects of methadone last longer than those of morphine-based drugs.
Methadone's effects can last up to 24 hours.
Deaths occur more frequently at the beginning of treatment in methadone programs; they are usually a cause of excessive doses (i.e. erroneously estimated tolerance).
Methadone generally entails the entire spectrum of opioid side effects, including the development of tolerance and physical and psychological dependence.
Individuals are as physically dependent on methadone as they were to heroin or other opiates, such as Oxycotin or Vicodin.
The most common side effects of Methadone are: drowsiness; lightheadedness, weakness, euphoria, dry mouth, urinary retention, constipation, and slow or troubled breathing.
Ironically, methadone used to control narcotic addiction is frequently encountered on the illicit market and has been associated with a number of overdose deaths.
Methadone comes as tablets, dispersible tablets, liquid, and liquid concentrate.
Methadone is one of the most difficult drugs to detox from since its effects are long-lasting and it is readily stored in the body's tissue.
