Methadone in a 30-Day Detoxification Program for Narcotic Addicts: A Critical Review

Abstract

This paper reports on the results of a short-term (30-60-day) detoxification program using methadone in patients suspected of being addicted to hard narcotics. A total of 270 patients were treated with this modality. Of these, it was possible to secure data on 157 patients. The remaining 113 patients were lost to follow-up and of the 157 patients who were evaluated only 10, or 7%, were narcotic-free six months later. The data suggests that such a short-term program with ambulatory patients involving no counseling or aftercare does not produce favorable results.