QT prolongation with methadone

QT Prolongation and Arrhythmia Risk in Methadone Maintenance Treatment

Methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) is the most widely prescribed and most effective treatment for opioid dependence. Methadone is a long-acting synthetic opioid that is a potent blocker of the delayed rectifier potassium ion channel, which may result in QT interval prolongation (QTP) and increased risk of torsades de pointes (TdP) in susceptible individuals. MMT-associated TdP is rare; however...

Characterizing QT interval prolongation in early clinical development: a case study with methadone

Recently, we have shown how pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PKPD) modeling can be used to assess the probability of QT interval prolongation both in dogs and humans. A correlation between species has been identified for a drug-specific parameter, making it possible to prospectively evaluate nonclinical signals. Here, we illustrate how nonclinical data on methadone can be used to support the ev...

Medicines and QT Prolongation

Drug induced QT prolongation.

The drug-induced QT prolongation predisposes to development of torsades de pointes (TdP) ventricular tachycardia and sudden death. The association between specific drug and development of TdP is difficult to document, therefore, QT prolongation is considered as a surrogate marker of the proarrhythmia risk. Most of the drugs prolong QT interval usually by blocking the potassium IKr current or al...

Methadone and Corrected QT Prolongation in Pain and Palliative Care Patients: A Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND Methadone (ME) is commonly used in pain and palliative care (PPC) patients with refractory pain or intolerable opioid adverse effects (AEs). A unique ME AE is its corrected QT (QTc) interval prolongation risk, but most evidence exists in methadone maintenance therapy patients. OBJECTIVE Our goal was to identify QTc interval prolongation risk factors in PPC patients receiving ME and...