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Pharmacopsychiatry 2002; 35(5): 159-164
DOI: 10.1055/s-2002-34115
Original Paper
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Detoxification of Opiate Addicts with Multiple Drug Abuse: a Comparison of Buprenorphine vs. Methadone

J. Seifert1 , C. Metzner1 , W. Paetzold1 , M. Borsutzky1 , T. Passie1 , J. Rollnik1 , B. Wiese2 , H. M. Emrich1 , U. Schneider1
  • 1Department of Clinical Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
  • 2Institute of Biometry, Medical School, Hanover, Germany
Further Information

Publication History

Received: 20. 11. 2001 Revised: 3. 7./7. 12. 2001

Accepted: 20. 12. 2001

Publication Date:
18 September 2002 (online)

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Over the last few years, there has been a growing tendency for opioid addicts to abuse multiple drugs, although many patients are in substitution therapy with methadone. Abuse of multiple drugs leads to a more complicated withdrawal syndrome; it is therefore necessary to investigate new drug strategies as a treatment for detoxification. Buprenorphine appears to be an effective and safe drug in opioid-addicted patient detoxification. In this study, we have compared the short-term efficacy of an 11-day low-dose buprenorphine/14-day carbamazepine regime [BPN/CBZ] (n = 14) to an 11-day methadone/14-day carbamazepine regime [MET/CBZ] (n = 12) in a double-dummy, randomized 14-day inpatient detoxification treatment study. Twenty-six inpatients met the DSM-IV criteria for opioid dependence and were included in this study. All patients abused various additional drugs. Fourteen of 26 patients (53.8 %) completed the study. Seven non-completers (seven of 12 = 58.3 %) were treated with methadone/carbamazepine and five non-completers (five of 14 = 35.7 %) received buprenorphine/carbamazepine, but the difference in the dropout rate was not significant. However, patients with buprenorphine/carbamazepine showed significantly fewer withdrawal symptoms after the first two weeks of treatment. The present study supports the hypothesis that buprenorphine/carbamazepine is more effective than methadone/carbamazepine in detoxification strategies for opioid addict with additional multiple drug abuse. No severe side effects occurred during treatment in either group.

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Dr. J. Seifert

Hanover Medical School

Dept. of Clinical Psychiatry and Psychotherapy

OE 7110


30625 Hannover

Germany

Phone: +49 (511) 5323522

Fax: +49 (511) 5322415

Email: Seifert.Juergen@mh-hannover.de