Criminal justice outcomes over 5 years after randomization to buprenorphine-naloxone or methadone treatment for opioid use disorder.

ABSTRACT:

Aims

To compare long-term criminal justice outcomes among opioid-dependent individuals randomized to receive buprenorphine or methadone.

Design, setting and participants

A 5-year follow-up was conducted in 2011-14 of 303 opioid-dependent participants entering three opioid treatment programs in California, USA in 2006-09 and randomized to receive either buprenorphine/naloxone or methadone.

Intervention and comparator

Participants received buprenorphine/naloxone (BUP; n = 179) or methadone (MET; n = 124) for 24 weeks and then were tapered off their treatment over ≤ 8 weeks or referred for ongoing clinical treatment. Midway through the study, the randomization scheme was switched from 1 : 1 BUP : MET to 2 : 1 because of higher dropout in the BUP arm.

Measurements

SUBMITTER: Evans EA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6626574 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature