THE drug methadone, used by hundreds of addicts as a heroin substitute, is itself a potential killer and is certainly not a safe opiate, the State Pathologist warned yesterday at an inquest into the death of a Mountjoy prisoner.
Dr John Harbison said methadone was regarded as safe for heroin abusers because it could be taken orally. It was intended to banish the use of contaminated needles. But it was not in itself a safe drug and in particular it had been associated with death by overdose.
In the UK there were 1 1/2 times as many poisonings by methadone as by other opiates in 1991 and 2 1/2 times as many in 1992.
Dr Harbison was giving evidence on the second day of an inquest into the death of Patrick Brennan (30), of Avondale House, North Cumberland Street, Dublin, who died in a single cell in Mountjoy on July 22nd last.
The jury heard that Brennan had taken a mixture of heroin, methadone, cannabis and tablets during his 39 hour compassionate release from the prison, which had ended the previous night.
Dr Harbison said that during a post mortem examination he had found three condoms containing heroin, cannabis and tablets concealed in Brennan's rectum. These packages were intact and had not caused his death.
Mr Michael Higgins BL, for Brennan's family, claimed that inadequate checks were made on Brennan for opiates taken during his temporary release. Last Wednesday the deceased man's wife, Mrs Loraine Brennan, a mother of two, gave evidence of her husband ingesting heroin, methadone and tablets during his release.
Prison officers told the inquest of meeting Brennan, who appeared normal and in good health, on his return to Mountjoy on July 21st. One officer, Mr Paul Flynn, said Brennan underwent the usual search around 11.45 p.m., but this did not include any internal examination other than of the mouth.
He was checked twice during the night but at 3 a.m. was found motionless in his cell, and after failing to respond to resuscitation attempts was removed to the Mater Hospital and pronounced dead there at 4.05 a.m.
Dr Harbison said death was caused by cardiac arrest and cerebral depression due to the ingestion and combined effects of a mixture of drugs.
The jury returned a verdict of death by misadventure and told the Dublin City Coroner, Dr Brian Farrell, that they did not wish to add a recommendation or a rider to their finding.