Neurological Manifestations of Chronic Methadone Maintenance Therapy: A Case Report and Literature Review

Overview

Journal Cureus

Specialty Biomedical Engineering

Date 2022 Oct 31

PMID 36312663

Authors

Ulviyya Gasimova

Khurram M Afzal

Aninda B Acharya

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Methadone is a long-acting opioid medication that is used as maintenance therapy for heroin addiction. We present a case of a patient on methadone maintenance therapy for chronic back pain who developed neurological complications. The patient presented with mental status changes and choreiform movements. Workup revealed lesions involving the subcortical white matter and basal ganglia. Choreiform movements improved after the initiation of treatment with topiramate, clonazepam, and risperidone. This combination was chosen as several prior case reports published significant benefit and improvement in choreiform movements with the mentioned regimen.

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