Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Jan 2;39(1):83-88.
doi: 10.1080/08897077.2017.1363844. Epub 2017 Sep 18.

Utilization of buprenorphine and methadone among opioid users who inject drugs

Judith I Tsui  1 , Richard Burt  2 , Hanne Thiede  2 , Sara N Glick  3
Affiliations

Utilization of buprenorphine and methadone among opioid users who inject drugs

Judith I Tsui et al. Subst Abus. .

Abstract

Background: There has been a rise in opioid abuse and related injection drug use in the United States, and treatment for opioid use disorders may be underutilized. The study aim was to describe utilization of opioid agonist therapy (OAT), and assess factors associated with utilization of OAT, among persons who inject drugs (PWID) in the Seattle metropolitan area.

Methods: Data were obtained from the 2015 National HIV Behavioral Surveillance (NHBS) system among PWID in the Seattle area. Persons aged ≥18 years who injected drugs in the past year were recruited using respondent-driven sampling. Local supplemental questions assessed whether participants had received methadone or buprenorphine treatment in the past year. The analysis was restricted to participants who reported use of any opioids in the past year. Analyses compared the demographic, health insurance status, duration of injection drug use, prior history of overdose, prior receipt of hepatitis C virus/human immunodeficiency virus (HCV/HIV) testing (self-report), and screening positive for HCV/HIV via study testing between methadone- or buprenorphine-treated and untreated PWID. Multivariate logistic models were performed to assess adjusted associations with receipt of any OAT.

Results: The sample included 487 PWID who used opioids in the past year, of whom 27.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 23.1-31.1) reported past-year treatment with methadone and 4.7% (95% CI: 2.8-6.6) reported treatment with buprenorphine. There were no significant differences in demographics among participants who did and did not report past-year OAT; however, participants who were treated with methadone were more likely to be insured and have hepatitis C. After adjustment for other covariates, having health insurance was strongly associated with receipt of OAT (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 18.6; 95% CI: 2.5-138.7).

Conclusions: OAT, in particular buprenorphine, has been underutilized by opioid-using PWID in the Seattle area. Health insurance is a critical factor for enabling PWID to utilize OAT treatment for opioid use disorders.

Keywords: Opioid agonist therapy; opioid use disorder; persons who inject drugs.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:
Duration of treatment among PWID who use opioids who reported past-year OAT
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Compton WM, Jones CM and Baldwin GT. Relationship between Nonmedical Prescription-Opioid Use and Heroin Use. N Engl J Med. 2016;374(2):154–163. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Behavioral Health Trends in the United States: Results from the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. 2015.
    1. Rudd RA, Aleshire N, Zibbell JE and Gladden RM. Increases in drug and opioid overdose deaths--United States, 2000–2014. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2016;64(50–51):1378–1382. - PubMed
    1. Mathers BM, Degenhardt L, Phillips B, et al. Global epidemiology of injecting drug use and HIV among people who inject drugs: a systematic review. Lancet. 2008;372(9651):1733–1745. - PubMed
    1. Nelson PK, Mathers BM, Cowie B, et al. Global epidemiology of hepatitis B and hepatitis C in people who inject drugs: results of systematic reviews. Lancet. 2011;378(9791):571–583. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms