BACKGROUND Studies in Europe have suggested that injectable diacetylmorphine, the active ingredient in heroin, can be an effective adjunctive treatment for chronic, relapsing opioid dependence. METHODS In an open-label, phase 3, randomized, controlled trial in Canada, we compared injectable diacetylmorphine with oral methadone maintenance therapy in patients with opioid dependence that was re...

BACKGROUND Randomized clinical trials of methadone maintenance have found that on average high daily doses are more effective for reducing heroin use, and clinical practice guidelines recommend 60 mg/d as a minimum dosage. Nevertheless, many clinicians report that some patients can be stably maintained on lower methadone dosages to optimal effect, and clinic dosing practices vary substantially....

We investigated the management and treatment of pregnant opioid users by Drug Treatment Services by region across England and Wales. A postal survey was conducted among 223 Community Drug Treatment Services (CDTS) across England and Wales. Sixtysix percent CDTS responded (n=154/233) to the survey. Over half CDTS (55.3%) provided a maintenance methadone dose lower than that recommended for non-p...

OBJECTIVES Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) effectively reduces illicit opioid use and its negative consequences when patients participate in and adhere to treatment. Patients' participation and adherence may relate to their perceptions about methadone doses and dose adjustments and the meanings that patients associate with treatment. This study assessed patient perceptions about methadone...

background: addiction to narcotics ‎can cause serious problems and ‎monetary losses. therapeutic ‎success can be predicted ‎through identifying lapse risk ‎factors.‎ objective: determining job risk ‎factor of lapse.‎ methods: this was a cross ‎sectional study on 351 addicts ‎visiting five methadone clinics. a ‎data collection sheet consisting ‎of questions on demographic ‎and job information wa...

Radioimmunoassay was compared to thin-layer and gas--liquid chromatographic methods for detection of methadone in the urine of patients undergoing methadone maintenance therapy as treatment of heroin abuse. With urine samples known to contain methadone, 84% were positive by thin-layer chromatography as compared to 99% positives by the other two methods. This difference is attributed to the diff...

based on findings of previous studies, those men on methadone maintenance therapy (mmt) have a high prevalence of erectile dysfunction(ed), related to hypogonadism and depression. we conducted this study to evaluate the efficacy of trazodone (an antidepressant which can improve sexual function) on this sexual dysfunction.a structured interview was administered by the clinical staff. the intervi...

BACKGROUND Concomitant cocaine use is a major problem in clinical practice in methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) and may interfere with successful treatment. Data from European methadone populations is sparse. This register-based study sought to explore the association between prescribed methadone dose and concomitant cocaine and heroin use in the methadone population of Basel City. METHOD...

BACKGROUND Methadone is an effective treatment for opioid dependency and chronic pain. A methadone derivative, levacetylmethadol, was withdrawn from the European market after being associated with torsade de pointes. To date, no association between methadone and this arrhythmia has been described. OBJECTIVE To evaluate a series of methadone-treated patients experiencing torsade de pointes. ...

BACKGROUND Intravenous drug misuse, principally heroin, occurs primarily in the Greater Dublin area. Methadone maintenance treatment has been an important part of the response to opiate misuse in Dublin since 1992. AIMS To determine the number of opiate-related deaths in Dublin City and County during 1999, to establish the number of methadone-related deaths and determine the proportion of dea...