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Methadone maintenance and recovery from opioid dependence
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio 78284-7792.
The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
|January 1, 1992
Summary
Methadone maintenance for heroin users shows similar long-term recovery rates compared to drug-free treatment. This suggests methadone treatment does not impede eventual opioid dependence recovery, though it doesn't fully exclude the possibility.
Area of Science:
- Addiction Medicine
- Clinical Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is a cornerstone for managing opioid dependence, reducing illicit heroin use and associated criminal activity.
- However, concerns exist regarding MMT potentially hindering long-term recovery due to continued opioid dependence and neural adaptations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare long-term recovery outcomes between individuals receiving methadone maintenance and those undergoing drug-free treatment for opioid dependence.
Main Methods:
- A comparative analysis of five long-term follow-up studies on MMT outcomes.
- A comparative analysis of six long-term follow-up studies on drug-free treatment outcomes.
- Assessment of voluntarily abstinent rates as a primary recovery metric.
Main Results:
- Voluntarily abstinent rates in long-term MMT studies ranged from 9% to 21%.
- Voluntarily abstinent rates in long-term drug-free treatment studies ranged from 10% to 19%.
- The recovery rates between the two treatment modalities were found to be remarkably similar.
Conclusions:
- The findings do not provide evidence that methadone maintenance impedes eventual recovery from opioid dependence.
- While not definitively excluding the possibility, the similar abstinence rates suggest MMT is a viable long-term treatment option.