Why Don’t Doctor’s Check Methadone Levels in the Blood?
by
Phyllis J. Lile-King on Jul. 06, 2016
Accident & Injury Medical Malpractice Accident & Injury Wrongful Death Accident & Injury Personal Injury
Summary: My loved one died of methadone toxicity or methadone overdose. The doctor never checked the blood level for overdose. Should the doctor have checked the methadone level in the blood to prevent this overdose death?
After a patient dies from methadone, the
question is asked why the physician did not check the methadone levels in the
blood to prevent overdose. While some
doctors do use methadone blood levels to help the doctor in adjusting the
patient's dose, methadone overdose can be easily monitored by daily assessment
of the patient. This should occur at the
dosing window of a methadone clinic, or in the pain physician's office if the
physician is giving a dose sufficient to cause death. The ranges of blood serum concentrations of
methadone overlap with some concentrations that are lethal to a new user, being
therapeutic for a chronic user who has been using methadone for weeks, months
or years. For more information about the
proper starting dose of methadone, go to www.methadonelaw.com
or www.overdoselaw.com and click on
“Contact Us.” We can provide this
information free of charge, or consult with you about methadone blood levels, methadone blood concentrations and consult with you about whether the methadone dose your family member received was likely the cause of death
from a legal standpoint.