ArticleThe International journal on drug policy2022
Methadone exposures reported to poison control centers in the United States following the COVID-19-related loosening of federal methadone regulations.
Article in The International journal on drug policy, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 30 citations in OpenAlex.
- Examining inequities in access to opioid agonist treatment (OAT) take-home doses (THD): A Canadian OAT guideline synthesis and systematic review.The International journal on drug policy · 2024Pooled it
- Impact of COVID-19-related methadone regulatory flexibilities: views of state opioid treatment authorities and program staff.Addiction science & clinical practice · 2023Trial
- Article
- Key-Informant Perspectives On Pharmacy-Based Methadone Treatment For Opioid Use Disorder In The US.Health affairs (Project Hope) · 2025Article
- Methadone-involved overdose deaths in urban and rural communities before and after the public health emergency flexibilities for methadone take-home doses.Drug and alcohol dependence reports · 2025Article
- Methadone treatment utilization and overdose trends among Medicaid beneficiaries in New Jersey before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.Journal of substance use and addiction treatment · 2024Article
- Observational
- Racial, Ethnic, and Sex Differences in Methadone-Involved Overdose Deaths Before and After the US Federal Policy Change Expanding Take-home Methadone Doses.JAMA health forum · 2023Article
- "Sign Me Up": a qualitative study of video observed therapy (VOT) for patients receiving expedited methadone take-homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.Addiction science & clinical practice · 2023Article
- Patient experiences of methadone treatment changes during the first wave of COVID-19: a national community-driven survey.Harm reduction journal · 2023Article
- Access to tablet injectable opioid agonist therapy in rural and smaller urban settings in British Columbia, Canada: a qualitative study.Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy · 2023Article
- Examination of methadone involved overdoses during the COVID-19 pandemic.Forensic science international · 2023Article
- Synthesising evidence of the effects of COVID-19 regulatory changes on methadone treatment for opioid use disorder: implications for policy.The Lancet. Public health · 2023Review
- Article
- Methadone-involved overdose deaths in the United States before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMethadone is a highly effective treatment for opioid use disorder. Its use in the United States is highly regulated at both the federal and state level. The regulations related to take-home doses were loosened because of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus public health emergency declaration. The aim was to assess the effect of loosened regulations on methadone-related exposures reported to poison control centers.
methodsRetrospective analysis of population-based intentional methadone exposures (in persons 18 years of age and older) reported to the American Association of Poison Control Centers' National Poison Data System. A quasi-experimental design looking at one year before and after the March 16, 2020 loosening of methadone take-home regulations. Severity of exposure was assessed by: disposition (discharged from emergency department, admitted to non-critical care versus critical care units), medical treatments received, and medical outcomes (no effect, minor effect, moderate effect, major effect, death). One tail Student t-test and Chi Square were used; p significance was <0.05.
resultsThe number of adult intentional exposures involving methadone increased by 5.3% in the year following the change in federal regulations (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in distribution of age, gender, whether exposures involved methadone-only or methadone plus other substances, therapies administered or hospitalizations. There was no difference in overall distribution of medical outcomes, including deaths.
conclusionsAlthough the number of exposures involving methadone increased post-regulation change, the severity of exposures remained unchanged. Various additional factors (Medicare and Medicaid expansion; increased number of opioid treatment programs) may have also contributed to this increase. As federal officials consider possible permanent changes to the methadone regulations, it is important to evaluate potential related risks and benefits. This study lends support to the consideration that loosening of methadone regulations does not necessarily lead to a substantial increase in severity of exposures.
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