Attitudes Toward Buprenorphine and Methadone Among Opioid-Dependent Individuals

• Published in: The American journal on addictions Vol. 17; no. 5; pp. 396 - 401
• Main Authors: Schwartz, Robert P., Kelly, Sharon M., O'Grady, Kevin E., Mitchell, Shannon Gwin, Peterson, James A., Reisinger, Heather Schacht, Agar, Michael H., Brown, Barry S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Informa UK Ltd 01.09.2008; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Attitude to Health; Buprenorphine; Buprenorphine - therapeutic use; Drug addicts; Drug dependency; Female; Humans; Male; Methadone; Methadone - therapeutic use; Narcotic Antagonists - therapeutic use; Opioid-Related Disorders - epidemiology; Opioid-Related Disorders - rehabilitation; Opioids; Preferences; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1055-0496; 1521-0391
• DOI: 10.1080/10550490802268835

Attitudes and beliefs about drug abuse treatment have long been known to shape response to that treatment. Two major pharmacological alternatives are available for opioid dependence: methadone, which has been available for the past 40 years, and buprenorphine, a recently introduced medication. This mixed-methods study examined the attitudes of opioid-dependent individuals toward methadone and buprenorphine. A total of 195 participants (n = 140 who were enrolling in one of six Baltimore area methadone programs and n = 55 who were out-of-treatment) were administered the Attitudes toward Methadone and toward Buprenorphine Scales, and a subset (n = 46) received an ethnographic interview. The in-treatment group had significantly more positive attitudes toward methadone than did the out-of-treatment group (p <. 001), while they did not differ in their attitudes toward buprenorphine. Both groups had significantly more positive attitudes toward buprenorphine than methadone. Addressing these attitudes may increase treatment entry and retention.