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Methadone-maintained volunteers experienced moderately severe opiate withdrawal symptoms within 3 or 4 days of beginning phenytoin in therapeutic doses. The area under the methadone plasma concentration-time curve decreased while the ratio of the pyrrolidine-to-metabolite excretion in urine to this area increased significantly. This suggests that phenytoin accelerates methadone metabolism. Methadone dosing adjustments should be anticipated when phenytoin is initiated or discontinued in methadone-maintained patients.

Four methadone-maintained subjects were given diazepam (0.3 mg/kg) for 9 days. During the dual drug period, the effects and kinetics of methadone and of its major pyrrolidine metabolite were not altered. These findings indicate that, unlike its effects in rodents, diazepam does not inhibit the metabolism of methadone in man.

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