Addiction
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Arrhythmia associated with buprenorphine and methadone reported to the Food and Drug Administration.
To assess the relative frequency of reporting of adverse events involving ventricular arrhythmia, cardiac arrest, corrected QT interval (QTc) prolongation or torsade de pointes to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) between buprenorphine and methadone. ⋯ In spontaneously reported adverse events, methadone is associated with disproportionate reporting of cardiac arrhythmias, whereas buprenorphine is not. Although these findings probably reflect clinically relevant differences, a causal connection cannot be presumed and disproportionality analysis cannot quantify absolute risk per treatment episode. Population-based studies to definitively quantify differential incidence rates are warranted.
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Observational Study
Dose-response relationship between methadone dose and adherence to antiretroviral therapy among HIV-positive people who use illicit opioids.
For HIV-positive individuals who use illicit opioids, engagement in methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) can contribute to improved HIV treatment outcomes. However, to our knowledge, the role of methadone dosing in adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) has not yet been investigated. We sought to examine the relationship between methadone dose and ART adherence among a cohort of people who use illicit opioids. ⋯ Among HIV-positive individuals in methadone maintenance therapy, those receiving higher doses of methadone (≥ 100 mg/day) are more likely to achieve ≥ 95% adherence to antiretroviral therapy than those receiving lower doses.