Implication for health policy/practice/research/medical education: Today, methadone maintenance treatment (MMT), is one of the most common treatments for opioid dependence, and Governments are making great efforts to expand MMT service centers. With Increase the number of these centers, their problems are more pronounced. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the performance and characteristi...

INTRODUCTION Methadone is a full agonist of the opioid receptor mu 1 which is encoded by the OPRM1 gene. Sleep disorders were frequently reported by opioid-dependent patients during methadone maintenance therapy (MMT). It is possible, therefore, that genetic polymorphisms in OPRM1 influence sleep quality among patients on MMT. This study investigated the association of OPRM1 polymorphisms with ...

Cardiovascular effects of opioid withdrawal have long been studied. It was reported that patients with underlying ischemic heart disease and atherosclerotic vessels may be complicated by a sudden physical and emotional stress due to withdrawal syndrome. But some other believes sudden increase in catecholamine level as a sympathetic overflow might effect on heart with and without underlying isch...

Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) has elevated rates of co-morbid memory deficit and depression that are associated with higher relapse rates for substance abuse. White matter (WM) disruption in MMT patients have been reported but their impact on these co-morbidities is unknown. This study aimed to investigate changes in WM integrity of MMT subjects using diffusion tensor image (DTI), and t...

Background: For opioid-dependent patients not benefitting from conventional treatments (i.e., oral methadone), evidence suggests that supervised injectable medications are effective. The present study aims to describe participants’ baseline characteristics in a study comparing injectable diacetylmorphine and hydromorphone and factors independently associated with prior access to methadone at hi...

BACKGROUND Approximately 90,000 Canadians use opioids each year, many of whom experience health and social problems that affect the individual user, families, communities and the health care system. For those who wish to reduce or stop their opioid use, methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) is effective and supporting evidence is well-documented. However, access and availability to MMT is often i...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Heroin-dependent patients typically contract hepatitis C virus (HCV) at a disproportionately high level due to needle exchange. The liver is the primary target organ of HCV infection and also the main organ responsible for drug metabolism. Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is a major treatment regimen for opioid dependence. HCV infection may affect methadone metabo...

BACKGROUND Studies have shown that methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) iseffective in improving the client's quality of life and physical health.This study aimed to describe the nature and structure of drugdependents' experiences and the physical effects of MMT. METHODS The present study is a qualitative and a phenomenology study on 32clients referred to methadone clinics in the city of Ker...

BACKGROUND A significant number of opioid-dependent patients in Iran are now being treated by methadone maintenance therapy (MMT). One of the social complications of substance dependency is family disorganization and a decrease in marital satisfaction. This study aimed to determine the effect of group therapy based on the transtheoretical model of change on family functioning of the patients un...