title: Controlled use of heroin in patients on methadone maintenance treatment.
abstract: The efficacy of methadone maintenance treatment was evaluated on 93 patients after 10 years of therapy. On the basis of therapeutic compliance, patients were divided into three groups: (a) 40 Total-Agreement subjects on weekly take-home methadone; (b) 28 Partial-Agreement subjects, who regularly attended the clinic daily but presented episodic positive urinalysis; (c) 25 No-Agreement patients, who were absent from the clinic more than twice a month and had a high rate of urinalysis positive for morphine. Statistical analysis, based on social adjustment improvement and criminality rate decrease, divided the 93 patients into 2 distinct categories. The first category, characterized by high social adjustment and low criminality score, included the Total- and Partial-agreement groups. The second, characterized by significantly lower social adjustment and higher criminality score, included all No-Agreement patients. This suggests that methadone treatment was able to dissociate heroin use from low social functioning. It was concluded that, in a condition of adequate compliance the episodic use of heroin is of no harm to patients on methadone maintenance therapy, that is, methadone maintenance treatment permits a controlled use of heroin.
authors: Institute of Pharmacology, University of Siena, Italy.
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Bianchi
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Maremmani
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Meloni
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Tagliamonte
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D003417:Criminal Psychology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D003932:Heroin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008691:Methadone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000523:psychology*; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012931:Social Environment; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection
chemical_list: D003932:Heroin; D008691:Methadone