Past Issues

Objective: Opioid dependence is a chronic and relapsing disorder. In Taiwan,
the methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) has been introduced since 2005.
But high dropout rate from the MMT patients has been high. In this study, we intended
to explore the related factors for patients’ retention duration in the MMT
program in Taiwan. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study. We reviewed
the charts of subjects enrolled in the MMT program at four sites in central Taiwan.
Totally, 1,944 heroin users in the MMT program were enrolled consecutively from
January 1, 2007 to May 31, 2009. Five groups of the MMT duration were divided
into 1-30, 31-90, 91-180, 181-360, and more than 360 days. Result: The retention
rate of the MMT was gradually decreased with the time. Only 290 (14.99%) subjects
stayed in the MMT for more than 360 days. Higher dosage of methadone was
found in subgroups of longer retention of MMT. Elderly patients who stayed in the
MMT, were found to be staying longer than younger ones (p < 0.05). Patients staying
longer in the MMT had longer duration of heroin use (p < 0.05). Unstable dosage
of methadone was found to be more in those patients before their withdrawal
from the MMT program. Conclusion: Our study gained important information
that higher dosage and older age would be a favorable factor for longer retention
duration in the MMT in Taiwan. Furthermore, dramatic changes in dosage could
lead to patients’ withdrawal from the MMT program.