222 LAAM
posure to LAAM than by continuing it, and there has been speculation about
whether the same applies to humans. Abnormal breathing is seen in puppies
that had lengthy fetal exposure to LAAM. Rat experiments have attributed no
physical birth defects to LAAM, but some researchers suspect that fetal ex-
posure to the drug affects offspring behavior. Animal experiments also indi-
cate that even if LAAM causes no birth defects, risk of miscarriage may
increase. If pregnant rats routinely receive LAAM, their offspring quickly
show withdrawal symptoms upon birth (an event that stops exposure to the
drug) even though the drug is long-lasting in adults and would not produce
withdrawal symptoms in adults for quite some time after the last dose.
Additional information.Scientific literature often refers to LAAM as meth-
adyl acetate, short for levo-alpha-acetylmethadol. “Methadyl acetate,” how-
ever, is also the name of a Schedule I substance occasionally called
acetylmethadol, and some scientific literature uses acetylmethadol as a syno-
nym for LAAM. Even the CAS Registry Numbers of these substances get
mixed up, with articles sometimes assigning CAS RN 509-74-0 to LAAM. Add-
ing even more confusion, LAAM and the Schedule I substances acetylmetha-
dol, alphacetylmethadol, and betacetylmethadol all have the same molecular
formula (and Orlaam is similar but with the addition of hydrochloride). Per-
sons using this book as a starting point for more research about LAAM should
look carefully at other information sources to be sure which drug is being
discussed.
Additional scientific information may be found in:
Finn, P., and K. Wilcock. “Levo-Alpha Acetyl Methadol (LAAM). Its Advantages and
Drawbacks.”Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment14 (1997): 559–64.
Prendergast, M.L., et al. “Levo-Alpha-Acetylmethadol (LAAM): Clinical, Research, and
Policy Issues of a New Pharmacotherapy for Opioid Addiction.”Journal of Psy-
choactive Drugs27 (1995): 239–47.
Rawson, R.A., et al. “A 3-Year Progress Report on the Implementation of LAAM in
the United States.”Addiction93 (1998): 533–40.
Sorensen, J.L., W.A. Hargreaves, and J.A. Weinberg. “Heroin Addict Responses to Six
Weeks of Detoxification with LAAM.”Drug and Alcohol Dependence9 (1982):
79–87.
Tennant, F.S., Jr., et al. “Clinical Experiences with 959 Opioid-Dependent Patients
Treated with Levo-Alpha-Acetylmethadol (LAAM).”Journal of Substance Abuse
Treatment3 (1986): 195–202.
