methadone

n. synthetic narcotic substitute for morphine (also methadon)

Methadone is a synthetic opioid, used medically as an analgesic and in the treatment of narcotic addiction. It was developed in Germany in 1937, and in the USA was first brought to market by the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company.On September 11, 1941 Bockmühl and Ehrhart filed an application for a patent for a synthetic substance they called Hoechst 10820 or polamidon and whose structure had no relation to morphine or the opioid alkaloids (Bockmühl and Ehrhart, 1949). Although chemically unlike morphine or heroin, methadone also acts on the opioid receptors and thus produces many of the same effects.
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Methadone is a powerful narcotic drug in the same class as heroin. This class is known as the opioids. [more]Methadone - Community and Resources

Noun
1. synthetic narcotic drug similar to morphine but less habit-forming; used in narcotic detoxification and maintenance of heroin addiction
(synonym) methadone hydrochloride, methadon, dolophine hydrochloride, fixer, synthetic heroin
(hypernym) narcotic

n. methadone, synthetic narcotic substitute for morphine (also methadon)