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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2013;32(1):68-78.
doi: 10.1080/10550887.2012.759872.

A preliminary study comparing methadone and buprenorphine in patients with chronic pain and coexistent opioid addiction

Anne M Neumann  1 , Richard D Blondell, Urmo Jaanimägi, Amanda K Giambrone, Gregory G Homish, Jacqueline R Lozano, Urszula Kowalik, Mohammadreza Azadfard
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

A preliminary study comparing methadone and buprenorphine in patients with chronic pain and coexistent opioid addiction

Anne M Neumann et al. J Addict Dis. 2013.

Abstract

Patients with opioid addiction who receive prescription opioids for treatment of nonmalignant chronic pain present a therapeutic challenge. Fifty-four participants with chronic pain and opioid addiction were randomized to receive methadone or buprenorphine/naloxone. At the 6-month follow-up examination, 26 (48.1%) participants who remained in the study noted a 12.75% reduction in pain (P = 0.043), and no participants in the methadone group compared to 5 in the buprenorphine group reported illicit opioid use (P = 0.039). Other differences between the two conditions were not found. Long-term, low-dose methadone or buprenorphine/naloxone treatment produced analgesia in participants with chronic pain and opioid addiction.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00879996.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Participant flow chart
Figure 2
Figure 2
Pain as a function of Treatment and Follow-up. No significant interaction (Treatment x Follow-up) was found, but a main effect of Follow-up: Both 6-months buprenorphine/naloxone and methadone treatments resulted in a significant analgesia (p = 0.043).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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