Brief Report on Outpatient Treatment of Adolescent Opioid Use Disorder

Adolescents are experiencing an increase in substance-related overdose fatalities, with most attributed to fentanyl and an increase in the prevalence of opioid use disorder (OUD). We know little about the characteristics of adolescents who use fentanyl, develop OUD, and seek addiction treatment. Here, we present demographic data and retention data on adolescent patients (≤18 years) who were treated at a pediatric addiction clinic.

We included all patients who presented to an intake appointment at the pediatric addiction clinic between January 3, 2023, and October 17, 2023, and were diagnosed with OUD. We collected data on demographics, decision to start medicine for OUD (MOUD), choice of MOUD, and retention in treatment based on clinic visits at 1 month and 3 months postintake.

Patients are consisted of 24 adolescents ( Mage at intake = 16.8 ± 1.0 years, 67% Hispanic/Latinx, 75% public insurance) who met the criteria for moderate to severe OUD with known fentanyl use. All were offered MOUD, and 21 patients agreed to MOUD treatment; 16 adolescents selected buprenorphine/naloxone, and 5 selected naltrexone. At 3 months postintake, 14 patients (58%) were retained in treatment.

Adolescent and family acceptance of MOUD treatment was high, and most patients were retained in treatment at 3 months postintake. More studies are needed to understand how to retain and support adolescent patients in outpatient treatment for OUD given the emergence of fentanyl.