[Maintenance treatment for opiate dependence at a naltrexone clinic]

The outcomes of a maintenance treatment with Naltrexone (350 mg/week) are examined in a sample of 50 patients with withdrawal symptoms to opioid dependency. The therapeutic program did not include specific type of rehabilitation. Patients were instructed to keep a quiet life, restful and exercise-free. The treatment was followed in an outpatient facility, after an initial inpatient treatment, in a setting similar to patients own environment. The average attendance rate was of 6.36 months. Six months after the onset of the treatment, 46% of the patients still remained drug-free. A follow-up study found that, overall, the naltrexone treatment caused an increase in alcohol consumption whereas there was a noticeable decrease in cocaine use. This pattern continued even months after the treatment had concluded. Results yielded in the fenfluramine stimulation test showed a high basal level of stress in drug addicts (as assessed by their basal secretion of cortisol). On the contrary, they failed to respond to external straining stimuli to an equal extent as the control group.