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Review
. 2014:2014:313549.
doi: 10.1155/2014/313549. Epub 2014 Nov 4.

Efficacy of acupuncture for psychological symptoms associated with opioid addiction: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Zhang Boyuan  1 , Chen Yang  2 , Cheng Ke  1 , Shen Xueyong  1 , Liu Sheng  1
Affiliations
Review

Efficacy of acupuncture for psychological symptoms associated with opioid addiction: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Zhang Boyuan et al. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014.

Abstract

This review systematically assessed the clinical evidence for and against acupuncture as a treatment for psychological symptoms associated with opioid addiction. The database was accessed from MEDLINE and China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database. We included all randomized clinical trials published in Chinese and English regardless of their controls. Meta-analysis was performed using the RevMan software, version 5.2. We conducted a literature search of 16 databases from their inception to January 2014. Four studies from Western countries did not report any clinical gains in the treatment of psychological symptoms associated with opioid addiction. 10 of 12 studies from China have reported positive findings regarding the use of acupuncture to treat the psychological symptoms associated with opioid addiction. The methodological quality of the included studies was poor. The meta-analysis indicated that there was a significant difference between the treatment group and the control group for anxiety and depression associated with opioid addiction, although groups did not differ on opioid craving. This review and meta-analysis could not confirm that acupuncture was an effective treatment for psychological symptoms associated with opioid addiction. However, considering the potential of acupuncture demonstrated in the included studies, further rigorous randomized controlled trials with long followup are warranted.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram showing the number of studies included and excluded from the systematic review.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Meta-analysis of acupuncture for opioid craving.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Meta-analysis of acupuncture for anxiety associated with opioid addiction.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Meta-analysis of acupuncture for depression associated with opioid addiction.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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