CTN-0010: Buprenorphine/Naloxone-Facilitated Rehabilitation for Opioid Dependent Adolescents/Young Adults

George Woody, MD
Lead Investigator
Department of Psychiatry
University of Pennsylvania
woody@tresearch.org

The usual treatment for opioid-addicted youth is detoxification and counseling.  Some treatment providers are reluctant to use opioid agonist medications in this population, especially for long-term opioid maintenance.  This study compared Bup/Nx treatment for 9 weeks and taper for 3 weeks to treatment as usual (Bup/Nx detox for 2 weeks).  Both arms received counseling for 12 weeks.

Primary Findings

Results of the study showed that continuing Bup/Nx for 12 weeks vs. 2 weeks improved outcomes.  During weeks 1 through 12, patients in the 12-week Bup/Nx group reported less opioid use (P<.001), better retention (70% vs. 21%; p<.0001), less injecting (P=.01), and less use of cocaine (p<.001) and marijuana (p<.001).  Continuing treatment with Bup/Nx for 12 weeks appears to be safe in opioid addicted adolescents and young adults.

Primary Outcomes Article: Woody G, et al. Extended vs. short-term buprenorphine/naloxone for treatment of opioid-addicted youth: A randomized trial. Journal of the American Medical Association 2008;300(17):2003-2011. [get article]

    Node Involvement

    Lead Node(s):

  • Delaware Valley Node
  • New England Consortium Node

  • All Participating Nodes:

  • Delaware Valley Node
  • Mid-Atlantic Node
  • New England Consortium Node
  • North Carolina Node