Outcome and characteristics of patients in methadone maintenance program depending on whether they are or not drug consumption room users

IntroductionIn January 2012, a drug consumption room (DCR) opened in an outpatient treatment center for alcoholism and drug abuse (CADA) to reach people who inject drugs (PWID) who did not seek treatment.Objectives/aimsTo evaluate the characteristics and evolution of 76 patients undergoing methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) during a year in a CADA, depending on whether they are DCR users or nonusers.MethodsA retrospective cross-sectional observational study was conducted by reviewing data collected from patients in MMT during 2015, performing a statistical comparison between DCR users and nonusers. Outcome was evaluated through urine controls, considering a poor outcome when positive to heroin > 20%.ResultsOf the 76 patients in MMT, the average age was 40 years, 21% were women, mean dosage of methadone was 48.2 mg/day and more than a half were DCR users (52.63%). Of the 40 patients, which formed the DCR user subgroup, the average age was 36.4 years, 20% were women and mean dosage of methadone was 47 mg/day. The outcome of all the patients in PMM was successful in 48.68% of the cases, presenting differentially the nonusers a 91.67% of good response and the users only a 10%.ConclusionsInclusion of a drug consumption room in an outpatient treatment center for alcoholism and drug abuse, which facilitates accessibility for people who inject drugs to treatment, poses new challenges in order to improve the effectiveness of the PMM.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Quality of life of treated opiate addicts in the methadone maintenance program and those treated with buprenorphine

Background/Aim. Although the characteristics of the treatment are the most researched determinants of quality of life of opiate addicts, it is indisputable that there is a certain influence of the characteristics of addicts and addiction, too. The aim of this study was to determine which addicts characteristics, as well as the characteristics of the addiction and treatment have predicative influence on the quality of life of the opiate addicts treated in the methadone maintenance program and those treated with buprenorphine. Methods. The epidemiological cross-sectional study was carried out in 2013 at the Clinical Center Nis, on a total of 64 opiate addicts, both sexes, aged 18 and older (32 addicts in the methadone program, chosen by random selection, and 32 addicts treated with buprenorphine, matched by sex and age). Necessary data were collected in a ?face to face? interview with the examinees, based on the autonomous kind of a questionnaire, together with the use of the standardized World Health Organization (WHO) instruments: for health status, for the level of severity of addiction and for the quality of life measuring) based on which the health index (EQ-5D), Addiction Severity Index (ASI) and the quality of life index (WHOQOL-BREF) were calculated. The data were described by the methods of descriptive statistics, while the differences between groups were analyzed by applying ?2 and t-test. Multiple regressions were used to determine the predictors. Results. The addicts in the methadone program showed much worse perception of quality of life than those treated in another way, although, according to the values of quality of life, they did not differ significantly. The most numerous predictors of the level of quality of life were health characteristics, characteristics of the socioeconomic position of the examinees, as well as different consequences of addiction. The influence of treatment was less noticeable. Participating in the methadone program had predicative influence on perception and the level of quality of life of the addicts in mental area and that of the environment. The influence of the characteristics of methadone treatment in physical and social area was insignificant. Conclusion. Variations in the perception and level of the quality of life of opiate addicts in different areas cannot be explained using only one predictor. The number of determining variables is large, and its impact complex.