• Roger D Weiss, Jennifer Sharpe Potter, David A Fiellin, Marilyn Byrne, Hilary S Connery, William Dickinson, John Gardin, Margaret L Griffin, Marc N Gourevitch, Deborah L Haller, Albert L Hasson, Zhen Huang, Petra Jacobs, Andrzej S Kosinski, Robert Lindblad, Elinore F McCance-Katz, Scott E Provost, Jeffrey Selzer, Eugene C Somoza, Susan C Sonne, and Walter Ling.
• Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478, USA. rweiss@mclean.harvard.edu
• Arch. Gen. Psychiatry. 2011 Dec 1;68(12):1238-46.

ContextNo randomized trials have examined treatments for prescription opioid dependence, despite its increasing prevalence.ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy of brief and extended buprenorphine hydrochloride-naloxone hydrochloride treatment, with different counseling intensities, for patients dependent on prescription opioids.DesignMultisite, randomized clinical trial using a 2-phase adaptive treatment research design. Brief treatment (phase 1) included 2-week buprenorphine-naloxone stabilization, 2-week taper, and 8-week postmedication follow-up. Patients with successful opioid use outcomes exited the study; unsuccessful patients entered phase 2: extended (12-week) buprenorphine-naloxone treatment, 4-week taper, and 8-week postmedication follow-up.SettingTen US sites. Patients A total of 653 treatment-seeking outpatients dependent on prescription opioids.InterventionsIn both phases, patients were randomized to standard medical management (SMM) or SMM plus opioid dependence counseling; all received buprenorphine-naloxone.Main Outcome MeasuresPredefined "successful outcome" in each phase: composite measures indicating minimal or no opioid use based on urine test-confirmed self-reports.ResultsDuring phase 1, only 6.6% (43 of 653) of patients had successful outcomes, with no difference between SMM and SMM plus opioid dependence counseling. In contrast, 49.2% (177 of 360) attained successful outcomes in phase 2 during extended buprenorphine-naloxone treatment (week 12), with no difference between counseling conditions. Success rates 8 weeks after completing the buprenorphine-naloxone taper (phase 2, week 24) dropped to 8.6% (31 of 360), again with no counseling difference. In secondary analyses, successful phase 2 outcomes were more common while taking buprenorphine-naloxone than 8 weeks after taper (49.2% [177 of 360] vs 8.6% [31 of 360], P < .001). Chronic pain did not affect opioid use outcomes; a history of ever using heroin was associated with lower phase 2 success rates while taking buprenorphine-naloxone.ConclusionsPrescription opioid-dependent patients are most likely to reduce opioid use during buprenorphine-naloxone treatment; if tapered off buprenorphine-naloxone, even after 12 weeks of treatment, the likelihood of an unsuccessful outcome is high, even in patients receiving counseling in addition to SMM.

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