title: Buprenorphine and methadone: a comparison of patient completion rates during inpatient detoxification.
abstract: Buprenorphine and methadone are both effective for the control of the acute signs and symptoms of opiate withdrawal, but it is not known if there are differences between these two medications for other important clinical outcomes. This observational, non-randomized study evaluated completion rates of patients over a 13-month period when buprenorphine replaced methadone as the medication used for short-term inpatient opiate detoxification. Of the 644 patients in the study, the 303 treated with buprenorphine were more likely to complete detoxification than the 341 treated with methadone (89% vs. 78%; P < .001). Improvement in completion rates coincided with the introduction of buprenorphine. We conclude that as compared to methadone, buprenorphine is associated with greater rates of completion of inpatient detoxification.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, The State University of New York, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA. blondell@buffalo.edu
authors.forename: Richard D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Blondell
authors.forename: Susan J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Servoss
authors.forename: Sonja K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: DeVaul
authors.forename: Rebecca L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Simons
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002047:Buprenorphine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008691:Methadone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009294:Narcotics / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D009518:New York; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D010352:Patient Dropouts / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000534:rehabilitation
chemical_list: D009294:Narcotics; D002047:Buprenorphine; D008691:Methadone