TY - JOUR
T1 - Dose-response effects of methadone in the treatment of opioid dependence
AU - Strain, E. C.
AU - Stitzer, M. L.
AU - Liebson, I. A.
AU - Bigelow, G. E.
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 1993
Y1 - 1993
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, placebo-controlled 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, placebo-controlled 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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U2 - 10.7326/0003-4819-119-1-199307010-00004
DO - 10.7326/0003-4819-119-1-199307010-00004
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 -