Methadone News and Research

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Extended suboxone treatment substantially improves outcomes for opioid-addicted young adults

In the first clinical trial of a medication that was used for an extended time to treat opioid addiction in young adults, participants who received counseling and Suboxone (buprenorphine-naloxone) for 12 weeks had substantially better outcomes than those who received the standard treatment of short-term detoxification and counseling.

4 Nov 2008

Charity says using Valium as a substitute for heroin, increases overdose risk

A drug charity in Britain says increasing numbers of drug users are turning to the tranquilliser Valium (diazepam) as a substitute for heroin.

3 Sep 2008

HIV/AIDS advocates protest stigma, discrimination ahead of AIDS conference

HIV/AIDS advocates in Mexico City have begun protesting the problems of stigma, discrimination and a lack of access to antiretroviral drugs in Latin America ahead of next week's XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, Agence France-Presse reports (Rosenthal, Agence France-Presse, 7/29).

3 Aug 2008

Methadone shows promise against leukemia

Researchers in Germany have discovered that methadone, an agent used to break addiction to opioid drugs, has surprising killing power against leukemia cells, including treatment resistant forms of the cancer.

3 Aug 2008

International Narcotics Control Board 'out of step' with HIV/AIDS control efforts, opinion piece says

The International Narcotics Control Board "remains out of step" with the rest of the United Nations' efforts to fight the spread of HIV, especially among injection drug users, and its practices should be open for review, Joanne Csete of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and Daniel Wolfe, deputy director of Open Society Institute's International Harm Reduction Development program, write in a Lancet opinion piece.

30 May 2008

University of Pennsylvania researcher to launch drug trial in Chinese province among IDUs

David Metzger, director of the HIV/AIDS Prevention Research Division at the University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues plan to launch a trial in China among injection drug users to determine if a drug that reduces the craving for heroin also can reduce the spread of HIV through the sharing of contaminated needles, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

28 May 2008

Methadone to be dumped in Scotland as treatment for heroin addiction

A new approach to tackling heroin addiction is about to be tried out in the United Kingdom.

27 May 2008

Russia should increase HIV prevention efforts targeted at IDUs, UNAIDS Executive Director Piot says

Russia should increase efforts to address HIV/AIDS among injection drug users to slow the spread of the disease, UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot said on Saturday during a conference on HIV/AIDS in the former Soviet Union, Reuters reports. According to Reuters, the former Soviet Union has the third-highest number of people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide.

6 May 2008

HHS Secretary Leavitt meets with health officials in Vietnam to discuss health issues, including HIV/AIDS

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt on Thursday met with health officials in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to discuss health issues, including HIV/AIDS, Thanhnien News reports.

21 Apr 2008

Popular painkiller Nurofen Plus in danger of becoming a prescription only drug

Australia's National Drugs and Poisons Scheduling Committee (NDPSC) is apparently considering making one of the most commonly used over-the-counter (OTC) drugs available only with a prescription.

15 Apr 2008

Scottish drug addicts should not be treated as second-class says Government

Government Ministers in Scotland are proposing a rethink on how drug addiction is both viewed and treated and want drug users' aspirations to be recognised.

24 Mar 2008

Oral methadone dosing for chronic pain: practitioner's guide

Methadone, a strong opioid analgesic, is an effective and economical choice for the management of cancer pain and chronic noncancer pain, both as a first line medication and as a replacement opioid.

14 Mar 2008

Methadone and rare ventricular arrhythmia link

Methadone is a possible cause of sudden cardiac death even when it isn't overdosed but is taken at therapeutic levels primarily for relief of chronic pain or drug addiction withdrawal, a new study by Oregon Health & Science University researchers suggests.

10 Jan 2008

Rockefeller University funds clinical, translational pilot studies

The Rockefeller University Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) has announced the recipients of its 2008 Pilot Project grants.

8 Jan 2008

So-called success of 'shooting galleries' in Britain draws a mixed response

A pilot scheme in London where addicts can inject themselves with heroin in a special clinic appears to have reduced drug use and crime.

21 Nov 2007

Homelessness increases risk of infection for injecting drug users

A new report from the Health Protection Agency shows that around three-quarters of injecting drug users (IDUs) have been homeless at some point. In addition, those who have been homeless have higher levels of injecting risk and associated infections, primarily through the sharing of needles and low standards of hygiene.

29 Oct 2007

Trauma, drug misuse and transforming identities: a life story approach

A new book that offers insights into addiction and how it can be tackled, by looking at the life stories of ex-drug misusers in their own words, is published today.

2 Oct 2007

Methadone for managing chronic pain

Approximately 30% of Canadians suffer daily from chronic pain. Patients may be affected differently depending on the intensity, but all chronic pain is debilitating and difficult to treat.

13 Sep 2007

Opioid-based pain medications may cause sleep apnea

Opioid-based pain medications may cause sleep apnea, according to an article in the September issue of Pain Medicine, the journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine.

10 Sep 2007

Sewage reveals community-wide illegal drug use

Public health officials may soon be able to flush out more accurate estimates on illegal drug use in communities across the country thanks to screening test described at the 234 th national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.

22 Aug 2007