Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Slow tapering from methadone maintenance in a program encouraging indefinite maintenance.

Donald A Calsyn1, Jason A Malcy, Andrew J Saxon

  • 1Department of Veterans Affairs, Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA.

Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment
|February 24, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Most patients on opioid agonist treatment struggle with tapering. In a supportive setting, no patients completed methadone tapering, highlighting challenges in opioid tapering and medication management.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Relationship between depression on cocaine craving over time amongst patients in a trial evaluating the use of buprenorphine on cocaine use.

Drug and alcohol dependence reports·2026
Same author

Association between state cannabis laws and opioid outcomes: A systematic review.

Drug and alcohol dependence·2026
Same author

Implementing pragmatic clinical trials in rural settings: Challenges, solutions and lessons learned.

Journal of substance use and addiction treatment·2026
Same author

Randomized controlled pilot trial of extended-release buprenorphine vs. sublingual buprenorphine-naloxone in rural settings (RXR): Study rationale and design.

Contemporary clinical trials·2026
Same author

Smartphone-Based Contingency Management for Patients Who Use Methamphetamine: Qualitative Analysis of Patient and Clinician Perspectives.

JMIR formative research·2026
Same author

Differences in buprenorphine initiation and retention for opioid use disorder between primary care and substance use disorder specialty care settings.

Journal of substance use and addiction treatment·2026

Area of Science:

  • Addiction Medicine
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Longitudinal studies show most patients on opioid agonist treatment (OAT) fail tapering attempts.
  • Limited data exists on tapering within programs supporting indefinite OAT and medication tapering.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the outcomes of slow methadone tapering in patients within a supportive treatment environment.
  • To identify reasons for unsuccessful tapering and explore alternative medication management strategies.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective review of 30 patients initiating a slow methadone taper.
  • Analysis of reasons for taper cessation and successful medication switching.

Main Results:

  • No patients successfully completed methadone tapering.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Reasons for discontinuation included withdrawal (13.3%), drug use (40%), psychiatric instability (10%), and pain management (3.3%).
  • 40% successfully switched to buprenorphine/naloxone, with one tapering off it; 10% continued tapering at study's end.

    • Conclusions:

    • Methadone tapering is challenging, even in supportive settings.
    • Switching to buprenorphine/naloxone is a viable option for some patients.
    • Informing patients about taper difficulties and close monitoring are crucial for managing opioid agonist treatment.