Characterizing post-mortem blood concentrations in methadone-related deaths.

ABSTRACT: Methadone is a widely used opioid agonist in maintenance therapy for opioid addiction; however, its global diversion is increasing. Determining methadone's role in drug-related deaths is often challenging due to its pharmacological properties, such as tolerance, and the co-consumption of psychotropic substances. This study aims to identify the demographic, clinical, and therapeutic characteristics of methadone-related deaths to support forensic interpretation. A systematic literature review was conducted to retrieve and analyze publications on methadone-related deaths that included post-mortem toxicological analyses. The data were integrated with methadone-related death cases examined at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Bologna. The literature review identified 58 articles for data ex

SUBMITTER: Pelletti G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12808249 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature