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Methadone treatment in Iranian opiate addicts: a preliminary report
Mahin Eslami Shahrbabaki1, Hassan Ziaaddini2, Ali Akbar Hagh Doost3
1Assistant Professor, Neuroscience Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
Background:
This study aimed to investigate the initial dosage of methadone and factors affecting it in maintenance therapy.
Methods:
This cross-sectional, descriptive-analytic study was conducted on 157 individuals referring to a methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) clinic. The initial dosage of methadone was 20-45 mg which was adjusted during the treatment based on each patient's evaluation. Three groups were formed according to methadone dosage (less than 30 mg, between 30-50 mg, and more than 50 mg).
Findings:
Significant relations were observed between increased methadone dosage in the initial phase and marital status (P = 0.03), injection (P = 0.03), medical comorbidity (P = 0.009), and borderline personality disorder (P < 0.001).
Conclusion:
Further studies with larger sample size and including the history of previous detoxification, substance abuse, omission of self-recording, evaluation of women's addiction and MMT program performance with counseling support should be performed.
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