National Alcohol & Drug Addiction Recovery Month - September 2009

Press Room

SAMHSA and FDA on Safe Use of Methadone

(4/28/2009 )

The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today launched an initiative to help ensure the safe use of methadone. A prescription drug best known as a treatment for addiction and dependence on heroin and other narcotic pain medicines, methadone is also prescribed to treat moderate-to-severe chronic pain patients. The campaign responds to concerns about an escalating number of poisoning deaths linked to the improper use of this medication.

The public outreach effort, Follow Directions: How to Use Methadone Safely, is designed to inform consumers, health care professionals and treatment clinics about the safe use and misuse of the drug for both pain relief and drug addiction treatment.

The entire news article can be found on SAMHSA's Web site.

Keywords: SAMHSA, FDA, Methadone, Safe Use, Campaign

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The Recovery Month effort aims to promote the societal benefits of alcohol and drug use disorder treatment, laud the contributions of treatment providers, and promote the message that recovery from alcohol and drug use disorders in all its forms is possible.

Materials and events posted on the National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month (Recovery Month) Web site are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration or the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.