methadone

[lala410977]

what is the long term effects of methadone on your heart

[caregiver222]

That is an interesting question, but I suspect it is not the one you really want to ask. Methadone per se, does not damage the heart, however long term use of methadone does slightly increase the mortality from heart disease. The etiology (and reasoning) is as follows. (1) Methadone affects respirations. A person on methadone will have a slighty-less that optimal resting breathing rate. The body, unfortunately uses breathing to maintain acid-base balance by blowing off carbon dioxide, Thus, the long term methadone user is likely to have a blood PH that varies from the ideal. The human heart functions best within a very narrow range of PH and varience increases the chance of ventricular fibrillation. PH out of the perfect range increases ventricular irritability.  (2) this in turm mean the alveoli surface per unit-time is decreased (because of the lowered breathing rate) and to maintain the same level of oxygen the heart-rate tends to increase (3) methadone is a systemic vasodilator, and controlled differential vasodilation is essential to maintaining homeostasis. As an example, when you go from a sitting to a standing position the vasculature in the legs contracts quickly to maintain proper oxygenation. Methadone interferes with this compensatory process. This can result in generation of PVC's or produce undue strain on a damaged heart. (4) opiates such as morphine have been used as emergency treatment for angina and to relieve spasm in coronary arteries. With long-term use of methadone the blood vessels to not dilate rapidly upon administration of morphine rendering it innefective as a treatment for angina.

[Jerry_NJ]

A web search of "methadone and heart problems" discloses a number of links that may be helpful.  I have not read any of the references.

[Jerry_NJ]

I have not read here or elsewhere (I may have forgotten) anything about methadone.

A search on MedHelp shows:

http://www.medhelp.org/search?utf8=%26%23x2713%3B&query=methadone&camp=top_nav_search

Maybe there is an answer to your question in that resource.