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Opioid substitution treatment (OST) for people dependent on pharmaceutical opioids
Summary of the evidence
Opioid substitution treatment to treat pharmaceutical opioid dependent patients was evaluated in a systematic review (Nielsen et al., 2022, 8 RCT, N= 709). Results show that:
- there is very low- to moderate-certainty evidence supporting the use of maintenance agonist pharmacotherapy for pharmaceutical opioid dependence.
- Methadone or buprenorphine did not differ on some outcomes, however on the outcomes of retention and self-reported substance use some results favoured methadone.
- Maintenance treatment with buprenorphine appears more effective than non-opioid treatments.
Details
Note: this evidence summary is only valid for the outcomes, target groups, settings and substances/patterns of use described below.
