In an attempt to develop a new opiate detoxification approach, the authors assessed the efficacy of buspirone in the treatment of acute heroin withdrawal. Buspirone, a drug interacting with the serotonergic system, was selected because there is evidence that a decrease in serotonergic neurotransmission may be involved in opiate withdrawal symptoms. Twenty-nine hospitalized heroin addicts were r...

BACKGROUND This study aimed to investigate the initial dosage of methadone and factors affecting it in maintenance therapy. METHODS This cross-sectional, descriptive-analytic study was conducted on 157 individuals referring to a methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) clinic. The initial dosage of methadone was 20-45 mg which was adjusted during the treatment based on each patient's evaluation. T...

Although current treatments for opioid detoxification are not always effective, medical detoxification remains a required step before long-term interventions. The use of opioid antagonist medications to improve detoxification has produced inconsistent results. Very low dose naltrexone (VLNTX) was recently found to reduce opioid tolerance and dependence in animal and clinical studies. We decided...

Background: This study aimed to investigate the initial dosage of methadone and factors affecting it in maintenance therapy.Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive-analytic study was conducted on 157 individuals referring to a methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) clinic. The initial dosage of methadone was 20-45 mg which was adjusted during the treatment based on each patient's evaluation. Th...

Since its inception in 1968, the San Francisco Drug Treatment Program, Inc., has responded to the mental and physical health needs of narcotic addicts. The search for safer, cost-effective detoxification alternatives grew from the controversial use of methadone and propoxyphene napsylate (Darvon N R) and has led to an exploration of nontraditional methods of detoxification which would address t...

BACKGROUND Vancouver, Canada recently opened a medically supervised injecting facility (SIF) where injection drug users (IDU) can inject pre-obtained illicit drugs. Critics suggest that the facility does not help IDU to reduce their drug use. METHODS We conducted retrospective and prospective database linkages with residential detoxification facilities and used generalized estimating equation...

This study examines the predictors of alcoholism among 201 patients from three methadone maintenance treatment programs (MMTPs) in New York City. Using the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test, one-fifth of the sample met criteria for alcohol dependence. Few subjects were currently enrolled in any form of chemical dependency treatment other than MMTP. Alcoholics started to use alcohol at an early ag...

The methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) program is scaling up in China, but little is known about drug users' cognitions of MMT. To investigate the prevalence and associated factors of MMT-related misconceptions, a totally of 300 newly admitted MMT users were interviewed in three MMT clinics in Guangzhou. Four statements were used to assess MMT-related misconceptions. The results showed that ...

CONTEXT Despite evidence that methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is effective for opioid dependence, it remains a controversial therapy because of its indefinite provision of a dependence-producing medication. OBJECTIVE To compare outcomes of patients with opioid dependence treated with MMT vs an alternative treatment, psychosocially enriched 180-day methadone-assisted detoxification. DE...