Methadone use is on the rise, with new stats showing an increase in the most common treatment for heroin addiction.

On a single snapshot day last year around 47 000 patients lined up for methadone prescriptions at one of over 2 thousand outlets around Australia. Stats show methadone is still the most common pharmacotherapy drug, being used to treat around two-thirds of patients with opiate addictions.

Statistics from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show a 14 per cent increase in prescribers of opioid pharmacotherapy drugs, indicating the ever-increasing need for treatment.

A full copy of this and other reports is available from the AIHW website.