Brief report: Meth, tranq, gas station heroin & other drugs complicating addiction treatment.

 Background and objectives: Patients using fentanyl have worse treatment outcomes; however, little is known about other drugs that complicate treatment.

Methods: A national survey (n = 396) was conducted for CTN-0135 using a random sample of clinicians waivered to prescribe buprenorphine in the United States. This study reports the results of a single survey item on clinicians’ perceptions of other drugs, besides IMF, complicating treatment.

Results: Clinicians reported methamphetamine (86.4%), synthetic cannabinoids (42.7%), and xylazine (41.4%) were complicating treatment; reports varied by geographic region.

Conclusions and scientific significance: Rapid clinician surveys can provide real-time data on changing patterns of drug use’s impact treatment outcomes.

Related protocols: CTN-0135