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Ray WA, Chung CP, Murray KT, Cooper WO, Hall K, Stein CM. Out-of-Hospital Mortality Among Patients Receiving Methadone for Noncancer Pain. JAMA internal medicine. 2015 Mar 1;175(175). 420-7. NIHMSID: NIHMS641066.
Abstract
Growing methadone use in pain management has raised concerns regarding its safety relative to other long-acting opioids. Methadone hydrochloride may increase the risk for lethal respiratory depression related to accidental overdose and life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias.