Quality of life among heroin users on buprenorphine versus methadone maintenance

Objectives: To assess the quality of life (QoL) of heroin users starting and following 4 and 8 months of maintenance treatment program using buprenorphine vs. methadone. Methods: Participants received maintenance treatment with oral methadone or sublingual buprenorphine for the treatment of heroin dependence. Participants' QoL was measured using the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire completed before treatment and at 1-, 4-, and 8-month follow-up. Baseline data from 304 heroin-dependent participants starting maintenance treatment, and 4- month and 8-month follow-up data for the 180 and 129 participants, respectively, retained in trial treatment are presented. Results: For the participants retained in treatment, statistically significant improvements in QoL and all specific life domains were observed in 4 and 8 months. However, for users who were maintained on methadone, this improvement was observed during the first month of treatment. Conclusions: The results show the beneficial effects of the maintenance treatment programs using both buprenorphine and methadone with regard to satisfaction with QoL and all specific life domains among heroin-dependent outpatients, with methadone having an earlier onset than buprenorphine. Further studies are needed to identify the factors linked to these benefits and their time course.