Methadone Hcl
Brand names: Diskets, Methadose, Methadone Hcl, Methadone Intensol
Part of: Opioid painkillers
At a glance
- Medicare prescriptions, 2024
- 457,113
- Medicare drug cost
- $9.2M
- Average cost per prescription
- $20.06
- Clinicians who prescribed it
- 13,417
Where it is prescribed
List the prescribers in any state, county, city or ZIP code →
What it is used for
Methadone hydrochloride tablets for oral suspension contain methadone, an opioid agonist indicated for the: Detoxification treatment of opioid addiction (heroin or other morphine-like drugs). Maintenance treatment of opioid addiction (heroin or other morphine-like drugs), in conjunction with appropriate social and medical services. Limitations of Use Methadone products used for the treatment of opioid addiction in detoxification or maintenance programs are subject to the conditions for distribution and use required under 42 CFR 8.12.
From the FDA-approved prescribing information (label dated August 2026). Full labels on DailyMed (opens in a new tab)
Boxed warning
WARNING: LIFE-THREATENING RESPIRATORY DEPRESSION, LIFE-THREATENING QT PROLONGATION, ACCIDENTAL INGESTION, ABUSE POTENTIAL, INTERACTIONS WITH DRUGS AFFECTING CYTOCHROME P450 ISOENZYMES and TREATMENT FOR OPIOID ADDICTION Life-Threatening Respiratory Depression Respiratory depression, including fatal cases, have been reported during initiation and conversion of patients to methadone, and even when the drug has been used as recommended and not misused or abused. Proper dosing and titration are essential and methadone hydrochloride tablets for oral suspension should only be prescribed by healthcare professionals who are knowledgeable in the use of methadone for detoxification and maintenance treatment of opioid addiction. Monitor for respiratory depression, especially during initiation of methadone hydrochloride tablets for oral suspension or following a dose increase. The peak respiratory…
The FDA’s strongest warning on a label. It doesn’t mean the drug is unsafe for most people; talk to your doctor or pharmacist before stopping or changing any medicine.
Who prescribes it
- Pain Medicine 26.2%
- Nurse Practitioners 17.8%
- Family Medicine 15.1%
- Internal Medicine 10.6%
- Physician Assistants 10.3%
- Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) 3.9%
- Hospice & Palliative Medicine 3.6%
- Anesthesiology 2.7%
- Neurology 2.3%
- Geriatric Medicine 0.8%
- Hematology & Oncology 0.8%
- Addiction Medicine 0.7%
All prescribers, by place, name or specialty →
Share of Medicare prescriptions written by each specialty. Select one to list its prescribers.
Trend, 2019–2024
Medicare prescriptions fell 35% from 2019 to 2024.
Biggest change by state since 2019
- Connecticut −25%
- Massachusetts −26%
- New Jersey −29%
- New York −30%
- Pennsylvania −31%
- Alabama (smallest change) −45%
- Missouri (smallest change) −44%
From CMS’s yearly state and national Part D summaries, which count every prescriber, including those CMS leaves out of its per-clinician data (fewer than 11 prescriptions). That is why these totals are higher than the count at the top of this page. Prescriptions include refills.
What it looks like
Pills from 1 maker on file. The same medicine can look different depending on who made it, so check the imprint (the letters and numbers on the pill) with your pharmacist if a refill looks different.
Specgx LLC
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 40 mg | white round tablet, 21 mm, scored to split in 4 | METHADOSE 40 |
| 40 mg | orange rectangle tablet, 20 mm, scored to split in 4 | M 2540 |
Source: DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), from each maker’s FDA drug listing. A few makers are shown, not every one. Never take a pill you can’t identify; ask a pharmacist.
Industry payments about this drug
No industry payments to clinicians named this drug in 2025.
Recalls and shortages
Not on the FDA drug shortage list.
No FDA-reported recalls since 2020.
Sources: CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers by Provider and Drug (2024; prescriptions include refills, and CMS hides counts under 11 per prescriber); U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA (drug labels, NDC directory, enforcement reports, drug shortages); CMS Open Payments 2025; ClinicalTrials.gov. General information only, not medical advice; not yet reviewed by our medical reviewer.