Methadone and buprenorphine is a medication which has a slow metabolism and very high lipid solubility. It makes longer lasting than morphine-based drugs. Methadone usually acte about 24-48 hours, permitting the administration only once a day in heroin detoxification and maintenance programs. The most popular method of delivery at a methadone clinic is in an oral solution. Methadone is more affective when administered orally as by injection.  In 1994 it was approved as a treatment of narcotic addiction.

  Methadone and buprenorphine are effective medications for the treatment of opiate addiction. They are usually used for long-term and short-term opioid maintenance therapy. Methadone and buprenorphine block the suppress withdrawal symptoms and drug's effects.This medications also relieve craving for the drug and help patients to disengage from drug-seeking and related criminal behavior and be more receptive to behavioral treatments.

  Buprenorphine is  a relatively new and important medication fordrug addiction treatment. It is a substance with an analgesic effect, due to partial agonist activity at μ-opioid receptors, i.e., when   the molecule binds to a receptor. It is only partly activated in contrast to a full agonist such as morphine. Buprenorphine also has extremely high binding affinity for the μ receptor. These two properties must be carefully considered by the practitioner, as an overdose cannot be easily reversed and use in persons physically dependent on full-agonist opioids may trigger opioid withdrawal that also cannot be easily reversed. For this reason, patients switching to buprenorphine are required to abstain from the previous opioid for at least several half-lives of the previous opioid. Buprenorphine sublingual preparations are often used in the management of dependence on hydrocodone,  heroin, oxycodone, morphine or other opioids.