Trends in Methadone Use

Data from surveys, prescriptions, emergency room visits, and substance abuse treatment clinics reveals some interesting trends in methadone use in the United States over the past several decades.

Statistics (pre-2010)

• The number of methadone prescriptions filled at pharmacies increased from about 860,000 in 2000 to 4,440,000 in 2008.
• The most popular formulation of methadone is the 10-mg tablet, which comprised 85% of all methadone doses in 2008.
• Between 2000 and 2008, the U.S. Poison Control Centers reported roughly 4,700 methadone exposures and about 100 methadone deaths. The death rate from methadone exposures increased from around 25 in the year 2000 to more than 100 in 2008. ^[1]
• Between 2004 and 2007, the number of emergency room visits that involved methadone increased from around 48,000 to 69,000.There was also a roughly 80% increase in visits involving methadone use in combination with alcohol, street drugs, and other prescription drugs. In 2007, more than 70% of methadone visits were by Caucasians, with the highest rate for those in the 21–24 age group. Roughly 80% of emergency room visits for methadone use involve non-medical use, including misuse and abuse. The number of people admitted to addiction treatment centers for illegal or street methadone increased from around 1,200 in the early 1990s to more than 5,000 in 2007. The rate of methadone overdose deaths increased by 600% from 1999 to 2006. ^[2]

Statistics (post-2010)

• In 2010, roughly 10% of all treatment facilities were certified by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to provide medication-assisted therapy with methadone or buprenorphine.
• Approximately 80% of OTPs (opioid treatment programs) provided outpatient treatment in the decade leading up to 2018. Only 24% provided residential treatment, and about 5% provided hospital inpatient treatment. This indicates that most people with opioid use disorders receive outpatient addiction treatment with methadone. ^[3]
• In 2014, methadone accounted for nearly one-fourth of all prescription opioid deaths. ^[4]
• Methadone continues to be used extensively to treat opioid addiction. Various studies have shown that methadone maintenance in opioid addicts leads to a significant decline in illicit drug use as well as criminal activity. It has also shown improvement in health benefits, including reduced risk of HIV/AIDS. ^[5]

Statistics 2022

• Over 6,100 facilities (constituting 41% of all substance use treatment facilities) offered methadone or buprenorphine maintenance or naltrexone treatment in 2022 in the United States.
• More than 618,000 clients received methadone or buprenorphine maintenance or naltrexone treatment in 2022. ^[6]
• Over 17 million people over the age of 12 years in the US reported any use of methadone in 2021. This number fell to about 14 million people in 2022. In 2022, about 200,000 people reported misusing methadone in the past year. ^[7]

Last updated: March 21, 2024