[Methadone dose, treatment duration and heroin use in drug-assisted rehabilitation]

Medication-assisted rehabilitation is established as a nationwide treatment option for opioid addicts.

A pilot study using a recently developed evaluation inventory was conducted in the autumn of 2001. Data on 303 methadone patients from the eastern health region formed the basis of evaluation.

The sample mean methadone dose was 111 mg, with a lower dosage level in Oslo than in the other counties. On average, the patients had been treated for 22.4 months. 125 (41%) patients had used non-prescribed opioids the last four weeks. Use of heroin was more prevalent among the Oslo patients (49%) than in the other counties (24%). Heroin use was significantly associated with geography, sex (higher prevalence among men) and methadone dose (higher prevalence at methadone doses < or = 105 mg). There was a negative relationship between treatment duration and use of heroin among the Oslo patients.

In an international perspective, this sample has a generally high dosage level, long treatment duration and good treatment outcomes. Heroin abstinence is more difficult to achieve in Oslo than in the rest of the region, especially in the early phases of treatment.