Study 68 heroine addictions that used methadone for replacing treatment at Spiritual Healthy Institute. Results: prevalence of heroine addiction and drug addiction significantly increased; there wasn’t high-risk behavior (sharing syringes with others, unsafe sex, ect); prevalence of breaking the law was lower. The initiatives in work, self-service, and rate of productivity increased. There were an increasing in psychological rehabilitation, entertainments, and interests of the others. Methadone therapy has been applied in many countries, but it is initially in Vietnam.
Heroin ; Therapeutics ; Methadone

Adult ; Heroin Dependence ; drug therapy ; prevention & control ; Humans ; Male ; Methadone ; therapeutic use ; Patient Compliance ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUND: Methadone is a synthetic opioid that is widely used for the treatment of chronic pain. The association between methadone treatment and QT interval prolongation or which can lead to torsades de pointes has been confirmed with larger studies on high dose methadone. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of methadone on the QTc interval in patients, whether the daily dose of methadone should be lower than what has been previously investigated. METHODS: A total of 130 patients were included, with 90 patients in the methadone group and 40 patients in the control group. For each ECG, heart rate, QT interval and corrected QT (QTc) interval were recorded. The patient demographics, methadone dose and serum level, duration of methadone use and past medical history were collected. RESULTS: The QTc interval was significantly longer in the treatment group than in the control group (443 +/- 30.0 ms versus 408 +/- 28.0 ms, respectively, P < 0.0001) and more patients in the treatment group had a QTc interval greater than 450 ms (36.7% versus 7.5%, respectively, P = 0.0005). The QTc interval was not associated with methadone dose P = 0.9278), serum level (P = 0.2256) or duration of treatment (P = 0.1822). CONCLUSIONS: This study has shown that methadone use is associated with longer QTc intervals, even among patients with daily doses of less than 80 mg. In this study, no correlation was found between QTc duration and methadone dose, serum levels or duration of use. However, the magnitude of the QTc interval was associated with female gender and the use of antidepressants.
Antidepressive Agents ; Chronic Pain ; Demography ; Electrocardiography ; Female ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Methadone ; Retrospective Studies ; Torsades de Pointes

China ; Heroin Dependence ; rehabilitation ; Humans ; Methadone ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Narcotics ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use

AIMTo simulate the inhalation of the C21H27NO and C29H41NO4 molecules, the effective components of methadone and buprenorphine, into carbon nanotubes, and discuss the feasibility of the loading of methadone and buprenorphine into carbon nanotubes.

METHODSThe MM + force-field based molecular dynamics (MD) method uas used.

RESULTSThe ends-opened carbon nanotubes with diameter larger than 1 or 1.25 nm can initiatively inhale the C21H27 NO or C29H41NO4 molecule, and both two molecules have higher potential energy at the open ends of the carbon tubes than that at the middle of the tubes; the present single-walled nanotubes are very suitable for the loading of methadone and buprenorphine.

CONCLUSIONIt is possible to make sustained-release detoxification agents with methadone- or buprenorphine-loaded carbon nanotubes.

Buprenorphine ; chemistry ; Computer Simulation ; Methadone ; chemistry ; Models, Molecular ; Molecular Structure ; Nanotubes, Carbon ; chemistry ; Narcotic Antagonists ; chemistry

This paper seeks to determine the client's compliance level towards Methadone Maintenance Therapy (MMT) and identify its associated factors. A cross sectional study was conducted from June to September 2007 where 288 samples were interviewed. The outcomes were divided into good compliance and partial compliance categories. Overall client's compliance level is good at 86.1%. There are significant difference between mean age of groups (t = -2.041, p = 0.04); and significant associations of job's status (chi2 = 9.54, p = 0.008); client's confident score (t = -3.12, p = 0.023), client'ssocial function score (t = -2.308, p = 0.002) and client's social function level (chi2 = 5.43, p = 0.02) with compliance toward program. With multivariate analysis, only client's age, client's confidence score and client's job status were related to compliance status. It was concluded that there is high compliance rate among client's who received the program. Younger clients, low scores on client's confident and social function, and clients with unsteady jobs are at risk not to comply with treatment.
seconds ; Clients ; lower case pea ; Drug addiction therapy - methadone ; Lower case tea

Objective: To analyze the withdrawal in patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) and its related influencing factors in Hubei province. Methods: The patients receiving MMT in clinics in Hubei province were selected from June 2006 to December 2021. The general demographic data, drug abuse history, and MMT information were collected. The survival data of patients with MMT were analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method, and the Cox proportional hazards model was used for multivariate analysis. Results: A total of 26 716 patients receiving MMT were included in this study, and the gender ratio between men and women was 3.34∶1(20 557∶6 159). The duration of MMT was 0.01-15.72 years, and the median duration was 2.21 (95%CI: 2.16-2.26) years. At the end of the follow-up, the withdrawal proportion was 86.75% (23 175/26 716). MMT's 0-year, 2-year, 4-year, 9-year and 14-year cumulative probabilities appeared as 67.61%, 40.24%, 30.03%, 15.49% and 6.56%, respectively. Results from the Cox proportional hazards regression model showed that the factors of the withdrawal risk were higher in patients receiving MMT, including minority nationality (HR=1.66,95%CI:1.52-1.82), having jobs (HR=1.05, 95%CI:1.01-1.08), no history of compulsory isolation or detoxification (HR=1.04, 95%CI:1.01-1.09) and the enrollment in 2016-2021 (HR=1.46,95%CI:1.35-1.58). The factors of the withdrawal risk were lower in patients receiving MMT, including 60-year-olds or above (HR=0.56,95%CI:0.42-0.75), college degree or above education level (HR=0.83, 95%CI:0.75-0.91), outpatient services of other cities (HR=0.90, 95%CI:0.87-0.93), drug use for 20 years or more (HR=0.72, 95%CI:0.66-0.80), 90 mg or more per daily dosage (HR=0.73,95%CI:0.69-0.78) and the enrollment in 2011-2015 (HR=0.93,95%CI:0.89-0.97). Conclusions: The withdrawal proportions of patients receiving MMT were high in Hubei province. The withdrawal influencing factors were complex. The daily dose was an essential factor that can be intervened under the safe MMT condition, and a higher dose should be appropriately prescribed.
Male ; Humans ; Female ; Methadone/therapeutic use* ; Opiate Substitution Treatment ; Ambulatory Care ; Cities

In relief of postoperative pain, the value of epidural or subdural injection of opioids including morphine, methadone, petidine and fentanyl is now well established. The advantages of epidural or subdural over parenteral opioids is prolonged duration of analgesia, which last from several hours to several days, without sympathetic and motor blockade. But undesirable side effects include pruritus, urinary retention, delayed onset of somnolence, and cardiovascular and respiratory depression. To reduce postoperative pain, we evaluated the effects of caudal pentazocine 0.2-0.4 mg/kg with lidocaine 1.5% 400 mg for perianal surgery in 36 cases. The results were as follows: 1) There was no difference in analgesic onset between the Control Group (used lidocaine only) and Group A and B (mixed use of lidocaine and pentazocine: Group A, 0.2 mg/kg pentazocine; Group B, 0.4 mg/kg) 2) Mean duration of analgesia following caudal pentazocine and lidocaine injection was over 12 hours, but was less than 5 hours in the used lidocaine only. 3) Urinary retention was observed in all groups; 3 case in the Control group, and 4 cases in Group A and B. 4) In Group A and B, 6 cases had not used analgesics within 24 hours after caudal anesthesia. 5) No specific clinical changes were noted in the vital signs in all groups.
Analgesia ; Analgesics ; Analgesics, Opioid ; Anesthesia, Caudal ; Fentanyl ; Lidocaine ; Methadone ; Morphine ; Pain, Postoperative ; Pentazocine* ; Pruritus ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Urinary Retention ; Vital Signs

Since the first use of epidural morphine in man, a number of other opiates have been studied including fentanyl, pethidine, methadone, diamorphine and buprenorphine. Among them buprenorphine is a relatively new synthetic opiate that is known to be highly lipophilic and to have an affmity for the opiate receptor approximately twice that of morphin:, It is produced in a preservative free solution, and would seem a logical choice for epidural analgesia. But there was no data on the adequate dose for the. postoperative pain control after lower abdominal surgery. Current study was designed to investigate the efficacy of three doses of epidural buprenorphine for postoperative pain control with the checking the pain score. Fifty seven female patients undergoing elective lower abdominal surgery were randomly assigncd to receive epidural buprenorphine as a rate of 0.3 (group A, initial dose 0.15 mg + maintenance dose O.l5 mg), 0.45 (group B, 0.15 mg + 0.3 mg), or 0.6 mg (group C, 0.3 mg + 0.3 mg) utilizing the Two-Day TI4l Infusor during the two days after cessation of operation. Authors compared the efficacy of three doses with checking the pain scale (Facial expression pain scale, Prince Henry pain scale) at 6, 12, 24, and 48 hour postoperatively. Side-effects were recorded. There were no significant difference among three groups with respects to mean age. Analgesic effects for patients receiving 0.6 mg (group C) were superior to those of group A but were not significantly different from analgesic effects of group B except 6 hour postoperatively. Side-effects (nausea and vomiting) of group C were significantly more than group B. The dose of epidural buprenorphine in Group B (initial dose 0.15 mg+maintenance dose 0 3 mg) may be recommended for postoperative analgesia following lower abdominal surgery.
Analgesia ; Analgesia, Epidural ; Buprenorphine* ; Female ; Fentanyl ; Heroin ; Humans ; Infusion Pumps ; Logic ; Meperidine ; Methadone ; Morphine ; Pain, Postoperative* ; Receptors, Opioid

OBJECTIVETo understand the risks and associated factors of HIV transmission by sharing syringes among HIV-positive drug users.

METHODThe survey was conducted among HIV-positive injecting drug users (IDUs-HIV+) who received HIV counseling, testing and treatment in Changsha city Infectious Disease Hospital and Hengyang city No.3 People's Hospital from July 2012 to May 2013 to understand their socio-demographic characteristics, HIV prevalence and syringe sharing. A total of 503 IDUs-HIV+ were involved in and provided the contact list of 2 460 drug users who had the syringe sharing experience over one month with IDUs-HIV+. 420 IDUs-HIV+ among 503 were defined as infection sources due to sharing syringe with at least one drug user. Among them, 234 HIV-negative persons were in control group, and 186 HIV-positive were in cased group. A total of 1 220 drug users were followed up among 2 460 and defined as vulnerable population. The HIV transmission rate was calculated based on the HIV prevalence among vulnerable population. Based on the result of HIV transmission to vulnerable population from 420 infection sources, case-control study and the multivariate logistic regression analysis were adopted to explore the associated factors of HIV transmission among IDUs-HIV+.

RESULTSAs the sources of HIV transmission, 420 IDUs-HIV+ had an average duration of (4.5 ± 1.2) years for drug use. As a susceptible population, 1 220 drug users sharing syringes with the 420 IDUs-HIV+ had an average duration of (1.1 ± 0.5) years for drug use. There were 238 HIV-positive persons among 1 220 vulnerable drug users, with a transmission rate of 0.57. In the case-control study, the proportion of male subjects was 87.1% (162/186) in the case group, which was higher than that in the control group (77.8%, 182/234). The proportion of subjects who received support after knowing their HIV infection status was 51.1% (95/186) in the case group, which was lower than that in the control group (79.5%, 186/234). The proportion of subjects sharing syringes every time of using drugs was 47.8% (89/186) in the case group, which was higher than that in the control group (36.8%, 86/234). The proportion of subjects having AIDS awareness was 21.0% (39/186) in the case group, which was lower than that in the control group (64.5%, 151/234); the proportion of subjects having close contact with HIV-positive persons for more than 106 days was 60.2% (112/186) in the case group, which was higher than that in the control group (31.6%, 74/234). The proportion of subjects maintaining the original drug use method after being infected with HIV was 50.5% (94/186) in the case group, which was higher than that in the control group (16.7%, 39/234) (all P values < 0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis was carried out to analyse high correlate factors of HIV transmission by sources of transmission, and the AIDS awareness, duration of contact between sources of transmission and vulnerable population, access to support following confirmed HIV infection were protective factors, OR (95% CI) values were 0.155 (0.104-0.262), 0.170 (0.106-0.253), and 0.306 (0.189-0.450), respectively; while the frequency of syringe sharing and continuous drug use after being infected with HIV were risk factors, and the OR (95% CI) values were 3.06 (1.77-5.29), and 3.54 (2.16-5.80), respectively.

CONCLUSIONHIV transmission by IDUs-HIV+ might be contained by raising AIDS awareness, providing comprehensive psychological support, conducting needle exchange and methadone maintenance treatment and reducing syringe sharing.

Aged ; Case-Control Studies ; Drug Users ; HIV Infections ; Humans ; Male ; Methadone ; Needle Sharing ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Substance Abuse, Intravenous