Levomethadone, sold under the brand name L-Polamidon among others, is a
synthetic opioid
Opioids are substances that act on opioid receptors to produce morphine-like effects. Medically they are primarily used for pain relief, including anesthesia. Other medical uses include suppression of diarrhea, replacement therapy for opioid use ...
analgesic and
antitussive
Cold medicines are a group of medications taken individually or in combination as a treatment for the symptoms of the common cold and similar conditions of the upper respiratory tract. The term encompasses a broad array of drugs, including ...
which is marketed in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
and is used for
pain management
Pain management is an aspect of medicine and health care involving relief of pain (pain relief, analgesia, pain control) in various dimensions, from acute and simple to chronic and challenging. Most physicians and other health professionals pr ...
and in
opioid maintenance therapy.
In addition to being used as a
pharmaceutical
A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field an ...
drug itself, levomethadone is the main therapeutic component of
methadone
Methadone, sold under the brand names Dolophine and Methadose among others, is a synthetic opioid agonist used for chronic pain and also for opioid dependence. It is used to treat chronic pain, and it is also used to treat addiction to heroi ...
.
Levomethadone is used for
narcotic maintenance in place of, or in some cases alongside as an alternative, to
racemic
In chemistry, a racemic mixture, or racemate (), is one that has equal amounts of left- and right-handed enantiomers of a chiral molecule or salt. Racemic mixtures are rare in nature, but many compounds are produced industrially as racemates. ...
methadone,
owing to concern about the
cardiotoxic
Cardiotoxicity is the occurrence of heart dysfunction as electric or muscle damage, resulting in heart toxicity. The heart becomes weaker and is not as efficient in pumping blood. Cardiotoxicity may be caused by chemotherapy (a usual example is th ...
and
QT-prolonging action of racemic methadone being exclusively caused by the
dextrorotatory
Optical rotation, also known as polarization rotation or circular birefringence, is the rotation of the orientation of the plane of polarization about the optical axis of linearly polarized light as it travels through certain materials. Circul ...
enantiomer,
dextromethadone.
Pharmacology
Pharmacodynamics
Levomethadone has approximately 50x the
potency
Potency may refer to:
* Potency (pharmacology), a measure of the activity of a drug in a biological system
* Virility
* Cell potency, a measure of the differentiation potential of stem cells
* In homeopathic dilutions, potency is a measure of how ...
of the ''S''-(+)-enantiomer as well as greater
μ-opioid receptor
The μ-opioid receptors (MOR) are a class of opioid receptors with a high affinity for enkephalins and beta-endorphin, but a low affinity for dynorphins. They are also referred to as μ(''mu'')-opioid peptide (MOP) receptors. The prototypical Π...
selectivity
Selectivity may refer to:
Psychology and behaviour
* Choice, making a selection among options
* Discrimination, the ability to recognize differences
* Socioemotional selectivity theory, in social psychology
Engineering
* Selectivity (radio), a ...
.
Accordingly, it is about twice as potent as methadone by weight and its effects are virtually identical in comparison.
In addition to its activity at the
opioid receptor
Opioid receptors are a group of inhibitory G protein-coupled receptors with opioids as ligands. The endogenous opioids are dynorphins, enkephalins, endorphins, endomorphins and nociceptin. The opioid receptors are ~40% identical to somatostatin ...
s, levomethadone has been found to act as a weak
competitive
Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indivi ...
antagonist of the
''N''-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor complex and as a potent
noncompetitive antagonist of the
α3β4 nicotinic acetylcholine (nACh) receptor.
Chemistry
The separation of the stereoisomers is one of the easier in organic chemistry and is described in the original patent. It involves "treatment of racemic methadone base with d-(+)-tartaric acid in an acetone/water mixture
hich
Ij ( fa, ايج, also Romanized as Īj; also known as Hich and Īch) is a village in Golabar Rural District, in the Central District of Ijrud County, Zanjan Province, Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also ...
precipitates almost solely the dextro-methadone levo-tartrate, and the more potent Levomethadone can easily be retrieved from the mother liquor in a high state of optical purity."
There is now an asymmetric synthesis available to prepare both levomethadone (R-(−)-methadone) and
dextromethadone (S-(+)-methadone).
Society and culture
Generic names
''Levomethadone'' is the
generic name of the drug and its .
Brand names
Levomethadone has been sold under brand names including L-Polaflux, L-Polamidon, L-Polamivet, Levadone, Levo-Methasan, Levothyl, Mevodict, Levopidon and Vistadict, among others.
Legal status
Levomethadone is listed under the
Single Convention On Narcotic Drugs
The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961 (Single Convention, 1961 Convention, or C61) is an international treaty that controls activities (cultivation, production, supply, trade, transport) of specific narcotic drugs and lays down a syste ...
1961 and is a Schedule II Narcotic controlled substance in the US as an isomer of methadone (ACSCN 9250) and is not listed separately, nor is dextromethadone. It is similarly controlled under the German
Betäubungsmittelgesetz
The Betäubungsmittelgesetz (BtMG), generally meaning Narcotics Law, is the controlled substances law of Germany. In common with the Misuse of Drugs Act of 1971 of the United Kingdom and Controlled Substances Acts of the US and Canada, it is a c ...
and similar laws in practically every other country.
References
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Pharmacodynamics
Pharmacodynamics (PD) is the study of the biochemical and physiologic effects of drugs (especially pharmaceutical drugs). The effects can include those manifested within animals (including humans), microorganisms, or combinations of organisms ...
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{{Glycine receptor modulators
{{Ionotropic glutamate receptor modulators
{{Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor modulators
{{Opioid receptor modulators
Analgesics
Antitussives
Dimethylamino compounds
Drug rehabilitation
Glycine receptor antagonists
Ketones
Mu-opioid receptor agonists
Nicotinic antagonists
NMDA receptor antagonists
Synthetic opioids