Methadone Mythbusting: Addressing Misconceptions About OUD Treatment

Despite methadone’s long-standing success in treating Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), misconceptions remain—often discouraging providers from prescribing it. Many times, patients are steered toward the less stigmatized drug buprenorphine instead of methadone.

While both buprenorphine and methadone are useful tools for those in recovery, patients deserve a tailored treatment plan that aligns with their specific needs and recovery goals.

Here, we’ll address three common myths about methadone and its use in treating OUD.

Myth 1: Patients Don’t Want Methadone 

It’s a common belief that OUD patients are more interested in taking buprenorphine than methadone. However, research from the NIH National Library of Medicine tells us that methadone is associated with higher treatment retention rates than buprenorphine.

As both drugs are effective treatments for OUD, it’s important for providers to evaluate all treatment options and consider factors like adherence, accessibility, and level of opioid dependence. 

Methadone is capable of treating all levels of opioid dependence, whereas buprenorphine is most effective with mild to moderate dependencies. On the other hand, buprenorphine can be prescribed by pharmacists, making it more accessible for many patients than methadone which can only be prescribed by an Opioid Treatment Program (OTP).

When providers assume that methadone isn’t what patients want, they may unintentionally limit patients’ choices, stunting their recovery journeys. 

Myth 2: Methadone Can’t Fit into Patients' Lifestyles

One of the reasons patients may hesitate to choose methadone treatment is because of the difficult requirement of daily, in-person clinic visits. Even though SAMHSA allows for take-home flexibilities when the benefits outweigh the risks, many OTPs continue to require patients to visit the clinic and take their dose in person each day. 

This is a significant challenge for patients balancing busy lives, jobs, and families, and can discourage patients from considering methadone, or make it more challenging for them to stay in treatment. 

In reality, as patients stabilize in their recovery, they can often qualify for take-home doses, reducing the need for daily visits. With tools like Sonara, OTPs can confidently issue these take-home doses, making care more flexible while maintaining safety.

Sonara’s patented, tamper-aware medication adherence system enhances the accessibility and effectiveness of methadone treatment. With Sonara’s Virtual Dosing Window™, patients can record video of themselves taking their methadone from any location, allowing care teams the oversight they need, and patients the flexibility they desire. 

By embracing low barrier care principles that increase methadone availability and focus on tailoring treatments to individual patient needs, OTPs using Sonara can increase treatment engagement and retention and help patients maintain their recovery. 

Myth 3: Methadone Is Just Substituting One Drug With Another

There’s a pervasive but untrue belief that says methadone simply replaces one addiction with another. However, methadone is a medication—not a replacement for drug use. 

Methadone stabilizes brain chemistry, reduces cravings, and prevents withdrawal symptoms, all without causing the high associated with OUD.

 According to NIDA, “although it occupies and activates these opioid receptors, it does so more slowly than other opioids and, in an opioid-dependent person, treatment doses do not produce euphoria.” 

By addressing the symptoms associated with OUD, methadone allows patients to focus on living their lives and achieving their long-term recovery goals.

When providers properly educate patients on methadone treatment, they help to reduce stigma and empower more individuals to seek the treatment they need.

How Sonara’s Take-Home Program Empowers Patient Choice

Methadone is a life-saving medication for many individuals with Opioid Use Disorder. Expanding access to methadone through take-home programs gives patients and providers the chance to determine treatment based on personalized needs rather than misconceptions. 

Employing a remote dosing solution like Sonara will help OTPs meet patients where they are. When patients feel supported and empowered in their choices, they are better equipped to commit to their recovery journey. For more information on how partnering with Sonara can help you safely increase access to methadone for your patients, contact us today.