Predictive Factors for Treatment Success in the Early Period of Buprenorphine/Naloxone Maintenance Treatment for Opiate Addiction

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine the factors that influence the treatment response and to contribute to the development of treatment protocols that are specific to our society. This study was conducted on 50 patients who were diagnosed with opiate addiction in the Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Istanbul University. They were first interviewed at the inpatient ward during detoxification and were followed up monthly at the Addiction Outpatient Unit after discharge. During the first and the forth interview (at the end of the third month) the Addiction Severity Index (ASI), the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire, the Levenson Psychopathy Scale, the Addiction Treatment Success Factors Predicting Scale, the Visual Analog Scale, and the Perceived Stress Scale were administered. During the interviews at the first, second, and third months after discharge, the Visual Analog Scale was administered. At each visit, a urine sample was collected from the patients in order to screen for opiates, cocaine, cannabis, benzodiazepines, and amphetamines. The patients with a positive urine test result for any substance were excluded from the follow up. A total of 50 opiate addicted patients were included in the study, 82% (n = 41) of them were males, 18% (n = 9) were females, and their ages were between 20 and 69 years. We found that age, educational level, gender, type of substance use, perceived stress, medical condition, business-support status, drug and alcohol use, legal status, family and social relationships, psychiatric condition, craving, personality traits, psychopathy, and social and environmental factors did not have predictive value for short term treatment success among patients with opiate addiction.