Does Methadone Make You Sleepy?

Methadone is a highly rated medication used to combat opioid-use disorder and has helped millions of people manage their addictions successfully. However, many people on methadone experience a range of sleep-related problems when starting the drug, such as reduced sleep quality and difficulty falling and staying asleep. This causes drowsiness and reduced alertness during the day. Of course, everyone’s body reacts differently, but if you are feeling severe fatigue and drowsiness in the early days of your methadone treatment, you are not alone. Explore the effects of methadone on sleep and gain insights and coping strategies for managing fatigue in this article with Revive Treatment Centers.

Key Takeaways on Methadone and Sleep

• Methadone is an opioid drug that alters the brain’s chemistry, including the chemicals that regulate sleep.
• Many people on methadone suffer from insomnia, reduced sleep quality, and sleep apnea. This can all lead to severe sleep deprivation.
• Sleep deprivation causes low energy levels during the day and impairs cognitive processing, leading to reduced alertness, slower reaction times, forgetfulness, and confusion.
• Extreme fatigue should decrease over time as your body adjusts to the medication.
• To fight tiredness, stick to a sleep routine, eat healthy meals, stay hydrated, and exercise, all of which will help stabilize your circadian rhythm.

Why Does Methadone Make You Tired?

Methadone is the gold standard drug for helping people overcome opioid use disorder through medically assisted treatment (MAT). It works by binding to opioid receptors that help reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms. However, because it is still an opioid drug, it stimulates changes in the brain’s chemistry, which can interfere with sleep regulation. In fact, it has been shown that even a single use of opioids in a healthy adult can already alter their normal sleep architecture.

Factors Influencing Sleepiness with Methadone

Various factors influence whether and how much a person feels sleepy on methadone. Below are some of the more common factors.

Methadone Dosage

Too little methadone can cause opioid withdrawal fatigue, but too much can cause fatigue from the medication, so it’s really important to figure out the correct dosage. If you start methadone treatment, your provider will work with you to adjust the dosage until you find the correct level for you.

Taking Other Medications

Concurrent medications can also increase sleepiness while taking methadone. Drugs that affect the central nervous system, such as sleep medications, anti-anxiety drugs, antidepressants, antihistamines, or other opioids, may intensify feelings of drowsiness when combined with methadone. Because of this, it’s important to discuss with your healthcare provider any medications or supplements you are taking to help reduce the risk of excessive fatigue or sedation.

Individual Tolerance and Metabolism

Everyone’s body works differently and reacts individually to opioids, so one person’s sleep routine may be severely affected as soon as they start methadone treatment, whilst another may feel no difference. Additionally, if someone has pre-existing sleeping problems, such as insomnia or sleep apnea, these are likely to be exacerbated by methadone treatment, so they will be affected a lot more than other people.

A key point to remember here is that your body acclimatizes to methadone treatment over time. Whilst most people feel extreme fatigue upon starting a course of methadone, this normally lessens within a few months. Many people report decreased fatigue after four months of methadone treatment, as their bodies adjust to it. So, although it may feel unbearable at first, remember this is just the adjustment period, and it will get better.

Methadone Side Effects Related to Sleep

Methadone may alter the amount and quality of sleep you get at night, making it difficult to fall and remain asleep. The sleep that you do get is often less efficient than normal sleep because disrupted sleep doesn’t provide sufficient restorative qualities.

This increased nighttime wakefulness due to sleep deprivation depletes the brain’s glycogen stores, impairs normal brain function, and lowers energy levels. This increases daytime sleepiness and impairs your ability to perform everyday tasks. You may experience pervasive feelings of lethargy throughout the day as a result.

Sleep deprivation also impairs cognitive function, so you may notice increased confusion and forgetfulness. You may also find your reaction times are slower due to reduced alertness during the day.

Side Effects of Sleep Problems

Other side effects of sleep deprivation that some experience whilst on methadone include:

• Sleep-related breathing problems, such as sleep apnea and sleep-related hypoxemia.
• Feelings of apathy, irritability, unmotivation, depression, and anxiety. Mood swings can also happen.
• Digestive issues or weight gain.
• Cold or flu-like symptoms and headaches.

While these side effects are common, particularly just after starting methadone or after a dose increase, you should talk to your healthcare provider about adjusting your dosage if any of these symptoms become too difficult for you to manage.

Methadone can sometimes slow breathing, a side effect known as respiratory depression. When your breathing slows or becomes shallower, your body may take in less oxygen, which can contribute to feelings of extreme tiredness, grogginess, or mental fog. This risk is more common at higher doses or when methadone is combined with other sedating substances.

How to Combat Drowsiness from Methadone

You may feel a lot more tired when you initially start a methadone program, but your body will adjust with time. It is important not to let this drowsiness deter you from continuing treatment, especially because drowsiness can cause you to feel unmotivated and depressed.

If you are having sleep problems while on methadone, there are some simple strategies to help you overcome your fatigue.

Get Exercise

If you’re feeling exhausted, exercise might be one of the last things you feel like doing. But working out is great for boosting energy, as it increases blood flow and heart rate, helping minimize fatigue. Exercise boosts your energy levels, mood, and serotonin levels, as well as your muscle, heart, and lung efficiency. Additionally, tiring yourself out during the day can lead to improved-quality sleep at night.

Stay Hydrated

Staying properly hydrated helps your body to run at optimal capacity. You should drink about eight cups of water a day, but you can also hydrate yourself with certain fruits and vegetables, such as spinach and watermelon. Increasing your water intake has been shown to improve your mood and energy levels.

Dehydration, on the other hand, can lead to fatigue during everyday tasks, as well as headaches and dizziness. It also dries out your mouth and nasal passages, which negatively affects your sleep quality by causing snoring, hoarseness, and leg cramps.

Drinking water also helps to combat many other methadone side effects, such as excessive sweating, trouble urinating, dry mouth, and constipation.

Eat Healthy Meals and Snacks

Exhaustion and lack of sleep limit the desire and time to plan healthy meals. This can result in missed meals, unhealthy food choices, and obesity. Additionally, large meals and sugary snacks often cause energy spikes and crashes, leading to fogginess and lethargy.

It’s better to eat smaller, healthier meals throughout the day to keep your energy levels high and blood sugar stable. Meals should consist of proteins, fruit and vegetables, and complex carbohydrates (such as whole grains), which take longer to digest.

Get Better Sleep Quality

It’s important to practice good sleeping habits. Avoid alcohol and caffeine. Set times to get up and go to bed, and try to stick to this routine as much as possible. Try to avoid looking at screens for half an hour before bedtime, because screens disrupt your melatonin levels and stop you from falling asleep so easily. You may want to take melatonin to help regulate your sleep schedule (no more than 3mg).

But if you’re really struggling to get enough good-quality sleep at night, a short nap during the day can really give you an energy boost. To get the most from your nap, find a comfortable, dark, and quiet place to sleep. Keep it short – fifteen to thirty minutes – otherwise you’ll find it much harder to fall asleep at night. And don’t nap after 3 p.m., because this will also disrupt your sleep cycle.

Consult a Healthcare Provider

If you’re really struggling to sleep after methadone and are feeling extremely drowsy during the day, consider consulting your methadone treatment provider. If it’s truly affecting your daily life, this may be a reason to adjust your dosage.

Methadone Support at Revive Treatment Center

Methadone often causes sleepiness because it affects the brain and central nervous system. Factors like dosage, individual tolerance, sleep quality, and other medications can all influence how tired you may feel while taking methadone. While mild drowsiness may improve, excessive fatigue or breathing difficulties should never be ignored.

At Revive Treatment Centers, we combine our methadone program with counseling and support services, so you have someone to speak to if you are worried about how you are feeling. If you or a loved one is wondering about methadone treatment or has questions you want answers to, reach out today. We’re here to help you.