Abstract
Objective: To compare the dose effectiveness of low to moderate doses of methadone in a sample of a contemporary population of opioid abusers, because the optimal dosing of methadone in the treatment of opioid dependence remains an issue. Design: A randomized, double-blind, placebocontrolled study. Setting: A methadone treatment research clinic. Patients: Participants (n = 247) were opioid-dependent patients with a high rate of cocaine use. Intervention: All participants were initially treated with active methadone for a minimum of 5 weeks and then received 15 weeks of stable dosing at 50, 20, or 0 mg per day. Individual counseling and group therapy were included. Measurements: Treatment retention and illicit drug use as determined by intensive urine monitoring. Results: Retention was better for patients who remained on active medication. By treatment week 20, retention was 52.4% for the 50-mg, 41.5% for the 20-mg, and 21.0% for the 0-mg group (50 versus 0 and 20 versus 0, P <0.05; 50 versus 20, P > 0.05). Only the 50-mg treatment group had a reduced rate of opioid-positive urine samples (56.4% versus 67.6% and 73.6% for the 20-mg and 0-mg groups, respectively; P <0.05) and cocaine-positive urine samples (52.6% versus 62.4% and 67.1% for the 20- and 0-mg groups, respectively; P <0.05). Conclusions: There is a dose-response effect for methadone treatment. Doses as low as 20 mg may improve retention but are inadequate for suppressing illicit drug use.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 23-27 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Annals of Internal Medicine |
| Volume | 119 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| State | Published - Jul 1 1993 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medicine(all)
Cite this
Dose-response effects of methadone in the treatment of opioid dependence. / Strain, Eric C; Stitzer, Maxine L; Liebson, Ira A.; Bigelow, George.
In: Annals of Internal Medicine, Vol. 119, No. 1, 01.07.1993, p. 23-27.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Dose-response effects of methadone in the treatment of opioid dependence
AU - Strain, Eric C
AU - Stitzer, Maxine L
AU - Liebson, Ira A.
AU - Bigelow, George
PY - 1993/7/1
Y1 - 1993/7/1
N2 - Objective: To compare the dose effectiveness of low to moderate doses of methadone in a sample of a contemporary population of opioid abusers, because the optimal dosing of methadone in the treatment of opioid dependence remains an issue. Design: A randomized, double-blind, placebocontrolled study. Setting: A methadone treatment research clinic. Patients: Participants (n = 247) were opioid-dependent patients with a high rate of cocaine use. Intervention: All participants were initially treated with active methadone for a minimum of 5 weeks and then received 15 weeks of stable dosing at 50, 20, or 0 mg per day. Individual counseling and group therapy were included. Measurements: Treatment retention and illicit drug use as determined by intensive urine monitoring. Results: Retention was better for patients who remained on active medication. By treatment week 20, retention was 52.4% for the 50-mg, 41.5% for the 20-mg, and 21.0% for the 0-mg group (50 versus 0 and 20 versus 0, P <0.05; 50 versus 20, P > 0.05). Only the 50-mg treatment group had a reduced rate of opioid-positive urine samples (56.4% versus 67.6% and 73.6% for the 20-mg and 0-mg groups, respectively; P <0.05) and cocaine-positive urine samples (52.6% versus 62.4% and 67.1% for the 20- and 0-mg groups, respectively; P <0.05). Conclusions: There is a dose-response effect for methadone treatment. Doses as low as 20 mg may improve retention but are inadequate for suppressing illicit drug use.
AB - Objective: To compare the dose effectiveness of low to moderate doses of methadone in a sample of a contemporary population of opioid abusers, because the optimal dosing of methadone in the treatment of opioid dependence remains an issue. Design: A randomized, double-blind, placebocontrolled study. Setting: A methadone treatment research clinic. Patients: Participants (n = 247) were opioid-dependent patients with a high rate of cocaine use. Intervention: All participants were initially treated with active methadone for a minimum of 5 weeks and then received 15 weeks of stable dosing at 50, 20, or 0 mg per day. Individual counseling and group therapy were included. Measurements: Treatment retention and illicit drug use as determined by intensive urine monitoring. Results: Retention was better for patients who remained on active medication. By treatment week 20, retention was 52.4% for the 50-mg, 41.5% for the 20-mg, and 21.0% for the 0-mg group (50 versus 0 and 20 versus 0, P <0.05; 50 versus 20, P > 0.05). Only the 50-mg treatment group had a reduced rate of opioid-positive urine samples (56.4% versus 67.6% and 73.6% for the 20-mg and 0-mg groups, respectively; P <0.05) and cocaine-positive urine samples (52.6% versus 62.4% and 67.1% for the 20- and 0-mg groups, respectively; P <0.05). Conclusions: There is a dose-response effect for methadone treatment. Doses as low as 20 mg may improve retention but are inadequate for suppressing illicit drug use.
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M3 - Article
C2 - 8498759
AN - SCOPUS:0027231038
VL - 119
SP - 23
EP - 27
JO - Annals of Internal Medicine
JF - Annals of Internal Medicine
SN - 0003-4819
IS - 1
ER -