Effects of LAAM and methadone utilization in an opiate agonist treatment program

The development and approval of levo-alpha-acetylmethadol (LAAM) as a pharmacotherapeutic agent in opioid agonist therapy provided an alternative to methadone. Clinicians recognized the potential benefits that LAAM, a synthetic mu agonist with pharmacological properties which differ from those of methadone,could have in the treatment management of addicts in opioid agonist therapy. We report our experience utilizing LAAM from 1995 to 1999 at the Hines VA opioid agonist therapy clinic. The addition of LAAM to the clinic's treatment armamentarium has resulted in management options that have improved the areas of patient recruitment, patient retention, patient traffic, take-home medication, detoxification, and treatment outcomes.