This paper investigates some productive ambiguities around the medical administration of methadone in the Republic of Ireland. The tensions surrounding methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) are outlined, as well as the sociohistorical context in which a serious heroin addiction problem in Ireland developed. Irish psychiatry intervened in this situation, during a time of institutional change, deba...

Although methadone (an opioid agonist) and buprenorphine (a partial opioid agonist) have evidence to support their use in treating opioid use disorder, they remain misunderstood and underutilized. In this article, we outline the risks and benefits of using these drugs as maintenance therapy in opioid-dependent patients.

Participants 124 opioid-dependent men, fulfilling DSM-III-R criteria, and living with a non-substance-abusing spouse or family member. Mean age of participants was 32 years. People allergic to or with contra-indications to naltrexone, requiring in-patient treatment, receiving counselling for abuse of other substances, and people receiving methadone maintenance therapy in the preceding 30 days w...

Structural Relations of Early Maladaptive Schemas to Craving in Substance-Dependent Individuals under Methadone Maintenance Treatment: The Mediating Role Self-Compassion

BACKGROUND To evaluate the effectiveness of a relapse prevention cognitive-behavioral model, based on Marlatt treatment approach, in Opioid-dependent patients participating in the Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) in Iran. METHODS The study consisted of 92 individuals treated with methadone in Iranian National Center of Addiction Studies (INCAS). Participants were randomized into two grou...

We report a case of high-dose methadone prescribed to a heroin addict for pain control. The patient was prescribed methadone during convalescence from surgery and subsequently for maintenance treatment. Dosing was started at 360 mg of methadone per day and reduced over 12 days to an 80 mg/day maintenance dose. Although the patient was drowsy on the initial dose, his recovery was uneventful. How...

Methadone and buprenorphine are widely used for treating people with opioid dependence, including pregnant women. Prenatal exposure to opioids has devastating effects on the development of human fetuses and may induce long-term physical and neurobehavioral changes during postnatal maturation. This study aimed at comparing the behavioral outcomes of young rats prenatally exposed to buprenorphine...

BACKGROUND Methadone Maintenance Treatment is a useful method for opioid dependents, which results in harm reduction and increased quality of life in opioid dependents. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in addicts is higher than in the general population which can interfere with the course and treatment of substance dependents and decrease the efficacy of treatment. METHODS This descrip...

The safety, efficacy, and tolerability of nelfinavir (NFV)-containing antiretroviral therapy were evaluated in patients coinfected with HIV and hepatitis C undergoing methadone maintenance at an urban outpatient opioid treatment program serving a minority adult population. Eligibility covered methadone-maintained patients coinfected with HIV and hepatitis C who had received or were currently re...