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. 2024 Sep;25(5):668-674.
doi: 10.5811/westjem.18530.

Methadone Initiation in the Emergency Department for Opioid Use Disorder

Daniel Wolfson  1 , Roz King  1 , Miles Lamberson  1 , Jackson Lyttleton  1 , Colin T Waters  1 , Samantha H Schneider  2 , Blake A Porter  3 , Kyle M DeWitt  3 , Peter Jackson  4   5 , Martha W Stevens  1 , John Brooklyn  4   6 , Richard Rawson  5   7 , Elly Riser  8
Affiliations

Methadone Initiation in the Emergency Department for Opioid Use Disorder

Daniel Wolfson et al. West J Emerg Med. 2024 Sep.

Abstract

Introduction: Overdose deaths from high-potency synthetic opioids, including fentanyl and its analogs, continue to rise along with emergency department (ED) visits for complications of opioid use disorder (OUD). Fentanyl accumulates in adipose tissue; although rare, this increases the risk of precipitated withdrawal in patients upon buprenorphine initiation. Many EDs have implemented medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) programs using buprenorphine. However, few offer methadone, a proven therapy without the risk of precipitated withdrawal associated with buprenorphine initiation. We describe the addition of an ED-initiated methadone treatment pathway and compared its 72-hour follow-up outpatient treatment engagement rates to our existing ED-initiated buprenorphine MOUD program.

Methods: We expanded our ED MOUD program with a methadone treatment pathway. From February 20-September 19, 2023, we screened 20,504 ED arrivals; 5.1% had signs of OUD. We enrolled 61 patients: 28 in the methadone; and 33 in the buprenorphine pathways. For patients who screened positive for opioid use, shared decision-making was employed to determine whether buprenorphine or methadone therapy was more appropriate. Patients in the methadone pathway received their first dose of up to 30 milligrams (mg) of methadone in the ED. Two additional methadone doses of up to 40 mg were dispensed at the time of the ED visit and held in the department, allowing patients to return each day for observed dosing until intake at an opioid treatment program (OTP). We compared 72-hour rates of outpatient follow-up treatment engagement at the OTP (for those on methadone) or at the addiction treatment center (ATC) (for those on buprenorphine) for the two treatment pathways.

Results: Of the 28 patients enrolled in the methadone pathway, 12 (43%) successfully engaged in follow-up treatment at the OTP. Of the 33 patients enrolled in the buprenorphine pathway, 15 (45%) successfully engaged in follow-up treatment at the ATC (relative risk 1.06; 95% confidence interval 0.60-1.87).

Conclusion: Methadone initiation in the ED to treat patients with OUD resulted in similar 72-hour follow-up outpatient treatment engagement rates compared to ED-buprenorphine initiation, providing another viable option for MOUD.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: By the WestJEM article submission agreement, all authors are required to disclose all affiliations, funding sources and financial or management relationships that could be perceived as potential sources of bias. This study was funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) 1H79TI085330 and the 2019 University of Vermont Health Network Innovation Grant. There are no other conflicts of interest or sources of funding to declare.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flow chart of screening of emergency department patients and enrollment in a STAR (start treatment and recovery) program. February 20–September 19, 2023. ED, emergency department; OUD, opioid use disorder.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Emergency department initiation of methadone and STAR (start treatment and recovery) pathway.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Emergency department initiation of buprenorphine STAR (start treatment and recovery) pathway.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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