Substance use & misuse
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Substance use & misuse · Jan 2011
Randomized Controlled TrialSwitching from methadone to diamorphine: 2-year results of the german heroin-assisted treatment trial.
Several international clinical studies have found diamorphine treatment for opioid-dependent patients to show significantly better effects compared with methadone maintenance treatment. ⋯ The results of the course of methadone-diamorphine switchers are a methodologically independent contribution toward confirming the positive effects of diamorphine treatment for difficult-to-treat opioid-dependent patients. This study supports the hypothesis that changing from optimized methadone treatment under the conditions of the clinical trial to diamorphine treatment is associated with improvements in health and drug use behavior. The study's limitations are noted.