BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Buprenorphine and methadone are widely used for the treatment of opioid dependence, but their diversion and/or misuse are frequent. In principle, buprenorphine/naloxone combination therapy should be associated with a lower frequency of drug abuse/misuse than methadone. This study assessed the efficacy of the substitution of buprenorphine treatment with the buprenorphin...

The main purpose of this research was to determine the influence a therapeutic dose an opioid drug (methadone) on selected auditory functions in patients addicted opioids (recognition ICD-10; F11) and undergoing substitution therapy. Various hearing tests were used – pure tone audiometry, impedance otoacoustic emission measurement, speech noise test two sessions, before after methadone intake. ...

The epidemiology of HIV infection and viral hepatitis among injection drug users (IDUs) is changing in western countries; reductions in the epidemic of blood-borne infections, such as HIV infection, and viral hepatitis among drug users are probably related to the generaliza‐ tion of harm-reduction interventions and to the treatment of both HIV/AIDS and substance abuse. Opioid substitution thera...

AIMS To examine the evidence for excluding chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients with substance abuse from treatment with interferon (IFN) and ribavirin. METHODS We reviewed clinical trials focussing on the treatment of chronic hepatitis C of patients with substance abuse between 2001 and 2004. Ten clinical trials concerning antiviral treatment in substance abusers were described of which six we...

People who inject drugs are more likely to be HIV positive and to have a mental disorder than the general population. We explore how the detection and treatment of mental illness among people who are injecting drugs are essential to primary and secondary prevention of HIV infection in this population. Aside from opioid addiction, few studies have been conducted on the links between mental disor...