Dolophine (Oral)

Uses for Dolophine

Methadone is used to treat moderate to severe pain when around-the-clock pain relief is needed for a long period of time. This medicine should not be used to treat pain that you only have once in a while or “as needed”. Methadone is also used together with medical supervision and counseling to treat opioid addiction (eg, heroin or other morphine-like drugs).

Methadone belongs to the group of medicines called narcotic analgesics (pain medicines). It acts on the central nervous system (CNS) to relieve pain.

This medicine is available only with your doctor’s prescription.

Before using Dolophine

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered:

Allergies

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Pediatric

Appropriate studies have not been performed on the relationship of age to the effects of methadone in the pediatric population. Safety and efficacy have not been established.

Geriatric

Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated geriatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of methadone in the elderly. However, elderly patients are more likely to have age-related heart, kidney, liver, or lung problems, which may require caution and an adjustment in the dose for patients receiving methadone.

Breast Feeding

There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding.

Interactions with Medicines

Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.