The aim of this report is to bring awareness of the effects of methadone (also known as Dolophine) on a functioning individuals brain, and how it influences a person’s schooling. The effects methadone has on a person while schooling is very important to society, as it can affect a person no matter the age or situation. A person under the influence of methadone can become very confused, or it can cause a person’s sleeping patterns to become irregular, which can then lead a person to act in a way that is very dangerous to others and their own wellbeing. Users of this drug tend to shut themselves off from society which can lead to bigger problems, as they themselves would not be able to recognise the signs that the drug use is becoming dangerous. Unfortunately for a person who does not tolerate the drug methadone well, they can suffer from dangerous side effects. Some of these side effects being slow breathing and an irregular heartbeat, to which can then lead to a sudden death. Methadone when not used correctly is a very harmful drug, that must be discussed to prevent further misuse in society, therefore it is essential to gain knowledge about.
In this report it will provide an understanding of the chemical properties of the substance, what happens inside the brain when the substance is taken. It will then be discussing how the substances influences a person’s schooling. And finally the conclusion will provide a summary of the report and how methadone influences a person’s schooling.
One of the ways methadone is administered is orally, either in a liquid form or a tablet, sometimes called diskettes that are often dissolved in water. Then it’s gradually absorbed into the system via the intestines and liver. Methadone is detectable in the blood stream after approximately 30 minutes, but it does not reach its peak concentration until after about 4 hours. From the liver it is then released slowly into the bloodstream. This slow release into the bloodstream, keeps maintenance patients from experiencing the rapid narcotic high that an illicit drug would give them. Methadone is then brought to the brain where it essentially does the same thing as any other opiate does, but it doesn’t overwork the cell sites in the brain like an illicit drug. This weans a person off the drug, as their body is still getting the substance the only thing missing is the rush. Unfortunately, this is why people can die of an overdose, because the person using the drug misses the ‘high’, and either takes another dose to try to achieve the rush, or takes an illicit drug while still on methadone. Single doses, which should not exceed 80 - 100 milligrams daily, can last anywhere from 24 to 36 hours depending on user characteristics (e.g., age, weight, level of addiction, and tolerance). Taking a double does or taking more than one drug at a time can results in an overdose.
Methadone can also be administered through injection; this method of use is considered much more dangerous as methadone was designed to be a drug taken orally. The inside of your stomach is very acidic and when anything hits this, it is broken down almost immediately. In order to help methadone reach the stomach rather than it being broken down in the mouth or throat, manufactures create a bubble around the active ingredient in the oral medication. Those additives can include:
These are very harmful to a person as some of these just won’t break down inside the veins. No matter how much you might try to filter out all of the particles, some tiny bits might remain, to which they can then travel through the veins, in the blood into the heart or lungs causing very serious damage. Injecting this substance can also damage your veins causing them to block up and bleed.
Though methadone is primarily used for treating narcotics addiction, users can still experience negative physical effects, some of those being short-term:
And some long term:
And unfortunately for women they have their own separate effects that can happen when they use the substance:
As discussed before there are many side effects a person has to consider when taking methadone, especially if they are trying to get an education. Whether the side effects are long term or short term, they definitely have an effect on a person’s schooling no matter what age they are, as some of the effects can almost be debilitating to a person that is trying to learn.
Methadone can hugely hinder a person’s schooling as the substance is a system depressant, this causes the brain to be much slower. Because the brain is slowing down, a person cannot concentrate properly and therefore cannot get the best out of their education.
When taken methadone can cause drowsiness, this can affect how a person preforms in everyday life, including school as their brain won’t be able to take in as much information and again won’t be able to concentrate.
As well as loss of concentration a person’s mood can change very drastically while on this drug. They’re mood can range from depression to mania and everything in between. This can lead a person to lash out at a fellow student or teacher and be unable to be in a place of learning because of their antisocial behaviour.
As established before, methadone works by mimicking the actions produced by chemicals called endorphins. Methadone is an opioid that produces a ‘high’, while on this high a person can experience hallucinations. When a person is subjected to these hallucinations, they can become very confused and not be able to distinguish between what real and what is fake.
Methadone also slows a person’s body down, and therefore a person’s reaction time. This makes someone appear more lethargic and their movements more exaggerated. This means they are more likely to have an accident when attempting to do a normal average everyday activity, such as walking to their next class or even climbing or descending a flight of stairs, as they cannot react as quickly as they should.
This goes to show that many of the physical and mental effects that methadone has on a person, definitely can have an impact on a person’s schooling.
In this report it will provide an understanding of the chemical properties of the substance, what happens inside the brain when the substance is taken. It will then be discussing how the substances influences a person’s schooling. And finally the conclusion will provide a summary of the report and how methadone influences a person’s schooling.
Background
Methadone has the chemical formula 6-dimethylamino-4,4-diphenyl-3-heptanone. Methadone is a synthetic opioid with the general properties of morphine. The synthesis of methadone begins with the alkylation of the anion of diphenyl acetonitrile with 1-dimethylamino-2-chloropropane, which produces a mixture of two isomeric nitriles, one with a higher melting point (commonly referred to as methadone nitrile), 2,2-Diphenyl-4-dimethylaminovaleronitrile (MP 91-92°C) When the high melting point nitrile reacts with ethyl magnesium bromide and following hydrolysis gives methadone.
Methadone is used to relieve mild to extreme pain, and is also used as part of a drug addiction detoxification.
Methadone occurs as odourless, colourless crystals or white crystalline powder. It is freely soluble in alcohol and chloroform as well as soluble in water. Its molecular formula is C21H27NO, and its molecular weight is 345.9g/mol.
The substance works by mimicking the actions of naturally occurring pain-reducing chemicals called endorphins. Endorphins are found within the brain and spinal cord, and reduce pain by combining with opioid receptors.
Methadone can cause a change in neurotransmitters. Every nerve in your body communicates through neurotransmitters that are sent and received between individual nerve cells. Neurotransmitters are either reabsorbed or broken down by enzymes for use elsewhere, once the message is sent. When someone uses methadone, nerve cells specifically devoted to producing and regulating pleasure, work overtime. This impacts the reward system which encourages you to repeat actions. Methadone causes nerve cells to produce more pleasure-neurotransmitters than normal, to then cause a euphoric ‘high’ that is less intense than other substances. The longer you take methadone, the longer it takes for your neurotransmitter levels to go back to normal
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| Figure 1: methadone structure Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Methadone.svg |
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| figure 2 methadone synthesis. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Methadone_synthesis.png |
One of the ways methadone is administered is orally, either in a liquid form or a tablet, sometimes called diskettes that are often dissolved in water. Then it’s gradually absorbed into the system via the intestines and liver. Methadone is detectable in the blood stream after approximately 30 minutes, but it does not reach its peak concentration until after about 4 hours. From the liver it is then released slowly into the bloodstream. This slow release into the bloodstream, keeps maintenance patients from experiencing the rapid narcotic high that an illicit drug would give them. Methadone is then brought to the brain where it essentially does the same thing as any other opiate does, but it doesn’t overwork the cell sites in the brain like an illicit drug. This weans a person off the drug, as their body is still getting the substance the only thing missing is the rush. Unfortunately, this is why people can die of an overdose, because the person using the drug misses the ‘high’, and either takes another dose to try to achieve the rush, or takes an illicit drug while still on methadone. Single doses, which should not exceed 80 - 100 milligrams daily, can last anywhere from 24 to 36 hours depending on user characteristics (e.g., age, weight, level of addiction, and tolerance). Taking a double does or taking more than one drug at a time can results in an overdose.
Methadone can also be administered through injection; this method of use is considered much more dangerous as methadone was designed to be a drug taken orally. The inside of your stomach is very acidic and when anything hits this, it is broken down almost immediately. In order to help methadone reach the stomach rather than it being broken down in the mouth or throat, manufactures create a bubble around the active ingredient in the oral medication. Those additives can include:
- glycerine
- food colouring
- flavouring
- sorbitol
These are very harmful to a person as some of these just won’t break down inside the veins. No matter how much you might try to filter out all of the particles, some tiny bits might remain, to which they can then travel through the veins, in the blood into the heart or lungs causing very serious damage. Injecting this substance can also damage your veins causing them to block up and bleed.
Though methadone is primarily used for treating narcotics addiction, users can still experience negative physical effects, some of those being short-term:
- Restlessness
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Slowed breathing
- Itchy skin
- Pupil contraction
- Severe sweating
- Constipation
- Sexual Dysfunction
- Death
And some long term:
- Lung and respiration problems
And unfortunately for women they have their own separate effects that can happen when they use the substance:
- Menstrual cycle changes or lapse in cycles
- Pregnancy complications if users reduce dosage levels during pregnancy
Discussion
As discussed before there are many side effects a person has to consider when taking methadone, especially if they are trying to get an education. Whether the side effects are long term or short term, they definitely have an effect on a person’s schooling no matter what age they are, as some of the effects can almost be debilitating to a person that is trying to learn.Methadone can hugely hinder a person’s schooling as the substance is a system depressant, this causes the brain to be much slower. Because the brain is slowing down, a person cannot concentrate properly and therefore cannot get the best out of their education.
When taken methadone can cause drowsiness, this can affect how a person preforms in everyday life, including school as their brain won’t be able to take in as much information and again won’t be able to concentrate.
As well as loss of concentration a person’s mood can change very drastically while on this drug. They’re mood can range from depression to mania and everything in between. This can lead a person to lash out at a fellow student or teacher and be unable to be in a place of learning because of their antisocial behaviour.
As established before, methadone works by mimicking the actions produced by chemicals called endorphins. Methadone is an opioid that produces a ‘high’, while on this high a person can experience hallucinations. When a person is subjected to these hallucinations, they can become very confused and not be able to distinguish between what real and what is fake.
Methadone also slows a person’s body down, and therefore a person’s reaction time. This makes someone appear more lethargic and their movements more exaggerated. This means they are more likely to have an accident when attempting to do a normal average everyday activity, such as walking to their next class or even climbing or descending a flight of stairs, as they cannot react as quickly as they should.
This goes to show that many of the physical and mental effects that methadone has on a person, definitely can have an impact on a person’s schooling.
Conclusion
The user may think that the drug abuse is only affecting them, no one else. However, that is not true. It is evident that the abuse of methadone, can result in a person not being able to achieve what they want with their schooling. The opioid effects more than what one would think, impacting the user as well as how they perform in life, therefore school. How methadone reacts with the brain and the body makes it a very addictive drug and therefore a very dangerous substance. The physical and metal effects the drug has on the person, whether they are long-term or short-term, can hinder a person from experiencing the best out of their education. Given the facts from this report methadone does in fact have a great effect on the user’s brain as well as their schooling.Public Education Piece
My public education piece is a pamphlet to advise the general public of the information learned during this research assignment.
References
Narconon. (2016). Signs and symptoms of methadone abuse. retrieved from
http://www.narconon.org/drug-abuse/signs-symptoms-methadone-use.html
Christina. L (2009) 5 frequently asked question about methadone. Retrieved from http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/23153/56485/5-frequently/
Novus (2007). Methadone facts, info and effects. Retrieved from
http://novusdetox.com/methadone-facts-info-effects.php
chEBI (2014) methadone. Retrieved from
https://www.ebi.ac.uk/chebi/searchId.do?chebiId=CHEBI:6807
Inturrisi CE. (2005) pharmacology of methadone and it isomers. Retrieved from
http://opioids.com/methadone/pharmacology.html
Francesca. B. & Michele. B. (2013) methadone retrieved from
http://flipper.diff.org/app/items/info/5153
CAP Quality Care (2013) 10 methadone facts. Retrieved from
http://www.capqualitycare.com/blog/10-methadone-facts/
Opium (2016) does methadone block opiates? Retrieved form
http://www.opium.org/does-methadone-block-opiates.html
figure 1 methadone structure. Retrieved from
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Methadone.svg
figure 2 methadone synthesis. Retrieved from
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Methadone_synthesis.png
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