Methadone maintenance program in Bosnia-Herzegovina (BH) has been introduced in Sarajevo for the first time in 1989 year. During the war years 1992-95, only sporadic cases of drug addicts, because of overdosing or because of toxic psychotic states were treated. Number of addicts increased in BH, especially after the war, and needed adequate solution of the problem as well as use of the experiences from the other countries that faced us before, "epidemy" of addictions. One of the solutions for harm reduction caused by use of opioid substances, primarily heroin, was use of methadone, which is a good replacement pharmacological. After opening the Unit for drug addiction in year 2000 in Sarajevo, the methadone program of detoxifying and maintenance was re-established in 2002. Nowadays in BH high-threshold methadone program is used in five centres, in accordance with the criteria for European guides for methadone therapy. In addition to the subject of methadone programs, there are serious preparations for the use of Suboxone (Buprenorphine+Naloxone) in BH. The basic component of medicine (Buprenorphine) was placed on the essential list of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in September 2005. In BH, this drug was registered 18.12.2007 year. At the Clinic for Psychiatry in Tuzla, the establishing of Suboxone maintenance program was planned for the autumn of 2008.
