BACKGROUND The study explores differences and similarities in background and problem severity among those seeking Opioid Substitution Treatment (OST), comparing those who primarily had misused "opiates", e.g. heroin, morphine and opium, with those who primarily had misused other opioids. METHODS Patients (n = 127) assessed for possible admittance in OST are compared based on the Addiction Sev...

Introduction: There are 4000–5000 opioid abusers and about 1700 patients in opioid substitution treatment in Finland. New legislation (2008) allows less restrictive treatment models than before. Aims: To assess advantages and disadvantages of pharmacy delivery of buprenorphine-naloxone and referral of stabile patients into primary health care. Theory and methods: The setting was five Finnish ou...

BACKGROUND Failure in treating opioid dependence is costly to the patient, the employer, managed care organizations, and the overall health care system. Opioid dependent patients tend to be less productive at work and in society and utilize a great many health care resources. Optimizing outcomes is essential. OBJECTIVE To introduce the benefit of integrated strategies and patient support in t...

AIMS Accurate recognition of facial expressions of emotion is critical in interpersonal interaction but is impaired in alcoholics, even after a period of abstinence. Little is known of whether other drug-dependent populations also show these impairments. This study aimed to investigate facial expression recognition by chronic opiate users. DESIGN An independent group design was used to compar...

This chapter traces the diffusion of harm reduction in Europe and around the world. The term ‘harm reduction’ became prominent in the mid-1980s as a response to newly discovered HIV epidemics amongst people who inject drugs in some cities. At this time, many European cities played a key role in the development of innovative interventions such as needle and syringe programmes. The harm reduction...

This review systematically assessed the clinical evidence for and against acupuncture as a treatment for psychological symptoms associated with opioid addiction. The database was accessed from MEDLINE and China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database. We included all randomized clinical trials published in Chinese and English regardless of their controls. Meta-analysis was performed using the Re...

BACKGROUND To determine relapse rates and associated factors among people who use drugs (PWUDs) attending abstinence-oriented drug treatment clinics in Dhaka, Bangladesh. METHODS A cohort of male and female PWUDs admitted to the 3-month drug detoxification-rehabilitation treatment programmes of three non-governmental organisation-run drug treatment clinics in Dhaka, Bangladesh were interviewe...

In France, high-dosage buprenorphine (HDB) is the main substitution treatment for narcotic addiction. Few data have been published concerning clinical factors predicting a good response to this treatment in a daily practice. A hospital-based multicenter clinical research program (PHRC) was undertaken in heroin-addicted patients, diagnosed according to DSM-III-R, to detect clinical criteria susc...

BACKGROUND The most widely used maintenance treatment for opioid dependency is substitution with long-acting oral opioids. Treatment with injectable diacetylmorphine provides an opportunity for patients to stabilize and possibly transition to oral treatment, if clinically indicated. The aim of this study was to explore outcomes of individuals that received injectable diacetylmorphine and volunt...

OBJECTIVES To describe deaths in prison among opioid-dependent people, and examine associations between receipt of opioid substitution therapy (OST) and risk of death in prison. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. SETTING Adult prisons in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. PARTICIPANTS 16 715 opioid-dependent people who were received to prison between 2000 and 2012. INTERVENTIONS Opioid s...