The clinical effectiveness of electrostimulation vs oral methadone in managing opiate withdrawal.
A group of 24 opiate addicts admitted to an in-patient drug dependence unit received either electrostimulation or graduated oral methadone withdrawal. Addicts treated with electrostimulation showed high levels of withdrawal symptoms during the first week of treatment: these reached a peak on Day 3. In this respect electrostimulation was markedly inferior to methadone withdrawal treatment. However, although progressive methadone withdrawal quickly reduced symptoms to a moderate or low level, there was no reduction in symptomatology as late as one month after admission (i.e. after ten days without methadone). The implications of these findings are discussed.
D000328:Adult; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008691:Methadone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*
D008691:Methadone