Pattern of cocaine use in methadone-maintained individuals applying for research studies

Twenty-three methadone-maintained individuals seeking admission into a cocaine study were interviewed using the Pattern-of-Drug-Use assessment. Sample characteristics included: 96% male, 91% Caucasian, and 36 +/- 5 mean years of age. Mean methadone dose was 81 +/- 20 mg. On average, subjects reported using greater than $200 or 5 grams of cocaine per week. "Binge/crash" cocaine use did not appear to be the typical pattern of use. However, during daily periods of cocaine use, repeated injections of large amounts of cocaine were taken, which may place patients at risk for medical complications. These findings emphasize the importance of developing novel treatment strategies to treat these dually-addicted individuals.