methadone vs phenobarbital
Side-by-side comparison of methadone and phenobarbital. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
moderate Known Drug Interaction
John’s Wort, Phenobarbital Benzodiazepines and other Central Nervous System (CNS) Depressants Clinical Impact: Due to additive pharmacologic effect, the concomitant use of benzodiazepines or other CNS depressants, including alcohol, can increase the risk of hypotension, respiratory depression, profound sedation, coma, and death (see WARNINGS ).
Recommendation: Avoid taking these drugs together if possible. If they must be used together, your doctor will need to monitor you very closely for signs of breathing trouble.
Dolophine
Luminal
Methadone Hydrochloride Injection is a strong pain medicine. It is also used to treat opioid dependence temporarily when you cannot take medicine by mouth.
Phenobarbital is a medicine that can help control seizures and calm you down. It belongs to a class of drugs called barbiturates.
This medicine is used to manage severe, ongoing pain that needs a strong opioid medicine when other pain medicines don't work well enough. It is also used for the short-term treatment of opioid dependence when you cannot take oral medication, such as if you are in the hospital. Injectable methadone is not approved for outpatient treatment of opioid dependence.
This medicine is used to treat generalized and partial seizures. Seizures are caused by unusual electrical activity in the brain. Phenobarbital helps to reduce this activity and prevent seizures.
Methadone works by attaching to opioid receptors in the brain and body. This changes how your body feels pain. It can also help reduce withdrawal symptoms if you are opioid dependent.
Phenobarbital works by slowing down the activity of your brain and nervous system. It increases the effects of a natural chemical in the body called GABA. This helps to reduce seizures and promote relaxation.
- • Lightheadedness
- • Dizziness
- • Sedation
- • Nausea
- • Vomiting
- • Drowsiness
- • Sedation
- • Lethargy
- • Vertigo
- Addiction to the drug 5,614
- Harmful effects from different substances 5,213
- Misuse of the drug 4,797
- Taking too much of the drug 3,841
- Pain 3,669
- Seizure 1,534
- Medicine interacting with another medicine 635
- Poisoning from different things 621
- Prolonged seizure 482
- Not responding to multiple medicines 442
Methadone Hydrochloride Injection can cause serious and life-threatening risks, including addiction, abuse, and misuse. It can also cause life-threatening breathing problems, especially when you first start taking it or after a dose increase. Using methadone during pregnancy can cause withdrawal symptoms in the newborn. Using methadone with benzodiazepines or other drugs that can cause drowsiness, including alcohol, can cause severe sedation, breathing problems, coma, and death. Methadone can also cause a serious heart problem called QT prolongation.
You should not take this medicine if you are allergic to barbiturates. Also, do not take it if you have a history of porphyria, severe liver problems, or breathing problems.
Using Methadone Hydrochloride Injection during pregnancy can cause withdrawal symptoms in the newborn. Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of using this medicine if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if methadone passes into breast milk, so talk to your doctor before breastfeeding.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Phenobarbital can harm an unborn baby. Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking this medicine while breastfeeding.
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How to Read This methadone vs phenobarbital Comparison
methadone is classified in the Opioid Agonist drug class, while phenobarbital sits within the Anticonvulsant (Barbiturate) class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are prescription-only, so a licensed provider must authorize use.
Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, methadone has 23,134 submissions while phenobarbital has 3,714. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume, not per-patient risk, so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. These two drugs have a known moderate interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to both drugs slow down the central nervous system, and taking them together makes this effect much stronger. this can lead to dangerous breathing problems, extreme sleepiness, or even death.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.
A table cannot substitute for clinical judgment. Effectiveness, tolerability, drug-drug interactions with your other medications, kidney and liver function, pregnancy status, insurance formulary, and price all feed into a decision that only a licensed prescriber can make responsibly. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This page is for educational purposes only, is not medical advice, and should not be used to self-switch between methadone and phenobarbital - always consult your physician or pharmacist first.
Important: This comparison is for informational purposes only. Drug effects vary between individuals. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist for personalized medical advice.