A randomized investigation of methadone doses at or over 100 mg/day, combined with contingency management.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Methadone maintenance for heroin dependence reduces illicit drug use, crime, HIV risk, and death. Typical dosages have increased over the past few years, based on strong experimental and clinical evidence that dosages under 60 mg/day are inadequate and that dosages closer to 100mg/day produce better outcomes. However, there is little experimental evidence for the benefits of exceeding 100 mg/day, or for individualizing methadone dosages. We sought to provide such evidence.

Methods

We combined individualized methadone dosages over 100 mg/day with voucher-based cocaine-targeted contingency management (CM) in 58 heroin- and cocaine-dependent outpatients. Participants were randomly assigned to receive a fixed dose increase from 70 mg/day to 100mg/day, or to be eligibl

SUBMITTER: Kennedy AP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3595382 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature