کد مقاله | کد نشریه | سال انتشار | مقاله انگلیسی | نسخه تمام متن |
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328577 | 543286 | 2006 | 5 صفحه PDF | دانلود رایگان |

AimsOur objective was to compare the effectiveness of buprenorphine (BUP) and methadone maintenance treatment in opiate-addicted patients in a clinical nonexperimental setting.DesignWe used a naturalistic observational prospective study of 24 months' duration.SettingSubjects were enrolled and treated at a drug addiction outpatient clinic of the National Health System Local Unit in Milan, Italy.ParticipantsTwo hundred fifty-seven subjects meeting the DSM-IV criteria for opioid dependence and opioid-seeking substitutive pharmacological treatment participated in the study.InterventionOne hundred twenty-one subjects received BUP at a mean daily dose of 11 ± 6 mg (median = 8; range = 2–30) for a mean duration of 249 days. One hundred thirty-six subjects received methadone at a mean daily dose of 54 ± 29 mg (median = 50; range = 4–140) for a mean duration of 267 days.MeasurementsThe main efficacy parameters were treatment retention rates and illicit substance abuse, as assessed by urinalysis.FindingsRetention rates were comparable in both treatment groups, but BUP-treated subjects had significantly lower rates of illicit opiate consumption (p < .0001).ConclusionsThe results confirm that, in a nonexperimental clinical practice setting, BUP is as effective as methadone in the treatment of heroin dependence, with significantly better opiate abuse control, thus possibly allowing longer and more effective treatment programs with reduced relapse rates.
Journal: Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment - Volume 31, Issue 1, July 2006, Pages 3–7