Methadone dose and heroin use during maintenance treatment
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 7, 2026

A Procedure to Study the Effect of Prolonged Food Restriction on Heroin Seeking in Abstinent Rats
Published on: November 11, 2013
J R Caplehorn1, J Bell, D G Kleinbaum
1Department of Public Health, University of Sydney, Australia.
Abstract:
A retrospective study examined the association between methadone dose and in-treatment heroin use as measured by fixed-interval urine testing in a cohort of 62 patients admitted to an Australian maintenance program. Urinalysis and methadone dose data were collected on subjects for a maximum two years and were analysed using Zeger & Liang's (1986) method for modelling longitudinal data. While allowing for patient descriptors and the time period in which urine samples were collected, the relative odds of using heroin were reduced by 2% for every 1 mg increase in the maintenance dose of methadone. It is estimated that the odds of patients maintained on 40 mg of methadone using heroin were 2.2 times those of patients maintained on 80 mg.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Opioid Analgesics: Synthetic and Semisynthetic Opioids
Rational Dosage Regimen: Maintenance Dose and Loading Dose
In most cases, drugs are administered repetitively or infused continuously to maintain a steady-state concentration in the body. At a steady state,...
Determination of Multiple Dosing Parameters: Loading and Maintenance Doses
Analgesia and Pain Management
Opioid Analgesics: Morphine and Other Natural Cogeners
Drug Accumulation During Multiple Dosing: Intermittent IV Infusions

