Open AccessInitiation and Rapid Titration of Methadone in an Acute Care Setting for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder: A Case Report
Author(s) -
Patrick Hemmons,
Paxton Bach,
Kate Colizza,
Seonaid Nolan
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of addiction medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.264
H-Index - 42
eISSN - 1935-3227
pISSN - 1932-0620
DOI - 10.1097/adm.0000000000000507
Subject(s) - methadone , medicine , dosing , opioid use disorder , methadone maintenance , opioid , intensive care medicine , adverse effect , anesthesia , acute care , emergency medicine , pharmacology , health care , receptor , economics , economic growth
Although methadone is an effective treatment for opioid use disorder, its initiation requires prescribing at a subtherapeutic dose with subsequent titration to a therapeutic dose over many weeks. Accordingly, the methadone induction period can be a challenging one for individuals and can be associated with an increased risk for ongoing illicit drug use and consequently overdose. Given its capacity for regular clinical assessments, acute care settings may offer a unique opportunity to reduce the duration of the induction period for methadone maintenance therapy.