RESUMO
This parallel, randomized, open-ended clinical trial tested the impact of nicotine replacement pharmacotherapy during the course of methadone treatment among opiate abusers. A total of 424 men entered the study at 4 drug treatment centres in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. The intervention group received a 6-week regimen of nicotine replacement pharmacotherapy at no charge. After 6 months, 211 persons (99.5%) in the control group continued to smoke and 1 person (0.5%) had quit. In the intervention group, 117 (55.1%) persons smoked, 15 (7.1%) persons had quit and 80 (37.7%) had reduced by more than 50% the number of cigarettes they smoked at the start of the study (P < 0.0001). The findings suggest that the use of nicotine replacement pharmacology in tandem with methadone maintenance treatment can lead to dramatically improved efficacy for treatment of dual addictions.
RESUMO
This parallel, randomized, open-ended clinical trial tested the impact of nicotine replacement pharmacotherapy during the course of methadone treatment among opiate abusers. A total of 424 men entered the study at 4 drug treatment centres in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. The intervention group received a 6-week regimen of nicotine replacement pharmacotherapy at no charge. After 6 months, 211 persons [99.5%] in the control group continued to smoke and 1 person [0.5%] had quit. In the intervention group, 117 [55.1%] persons smoked, 15 [7.1%] persons had quit and 80 [37.7%] had reduced by more than 50% the number of cigarettes they smoked at the start of the study [P < 0.0001]. The findings suggest that the use of nicotine replacement pharmacology in tandem with methadone maintenance treatment can lead to dramatically improved efficacy for treatment of dual addictions
