Substanzabhängigkeit vom Morphintyp – State-of-the-Art der Erhaltungstherapie mit synthetischen Opioiden

[Opioid Substitution Treatment in Germany: Physicians' View on the Effects of the 3rd Revision of the Narcotic Drugs Prescription Ordinance]

STUDY AIM

Opioid substitution treatment (OST) is the most effective drug treatment for opioid dependence worldwide. This form of therapy is also well established in Germany. Nevertheless, there are gaps in the provision of care, especially in rural areas and some states, due to a decreasing number of physicians involved in implementing the substitution programs. The 3rd revision of the Narcotic Drugs Prescription Ordinance (NDPO), which came into force in 2017, transferred medical therapeutic tasks of OST to the policy-making power of the German Medical Association. This comprehensive reform of the general conditions for OST led to greater legal certainty for this form of treatment. The present study aimed to analyze the effects of the 3rd revision of the Narcotic Drugs Prescription Ordinance from the providers' perspective.

METHODS

Between August and December 2019, a questionnaire on individual experiences with the changes implemented in 3rd revision of the Narcotic Drugs Prescription Ordinance was sent by the Federal Opium Agency and the Associations of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians of the chosen federal states to 2,503 physicians implementing the substitution program in Germany as well as 563 physicians in Hamburg, Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony who were not or no longer involved in this field of medical practice.The evaluation distinguished between physicians with and without further training in addiction medicine and between urban and rural districts.

RESULTS

The response rate of physicians was 34.1%. The average age was 57.9 (±8.7) years, and 64.5% were male. The most relevant changes of the NDPO revision were found to be no time limit for achieving opioid abstinence (85.3%), new assessment and treatment using additional psychotropic substances (71.0%), extending take-home regulation to a maximum of 30 days (70.0%) and greater legal certainty (66.2%). Widening of consultative care up to 10 patients met with little approval (14.8%); 36.7% did not believe that care of substituted patients was assured either now or in the future.

CONCLUSIONS

The NDPO revisions were considered to be relevant in terms of increased legal certainty and treatment liberties. Information was needed in rural areas, among physicians who carried out substitution therapy without advanced training in addiction medicine and physicians no longer involved in substitution therapy.

Laser Acupuncture for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is usually treated with opiate derivatives and supported with nonpharmacological treatment.

METHODS

This prospective, randomized, controlled, blinded, single-center study was carried out between March 2009 and November 2014. Newborn infants diagnosed with NAS after maternal opioid substitution therapy were eligible for inclusion. Infants were randomly allocated to the acupuncture group (combining laser acupuncture and pharmacological therapy of morphine and phenobarbital) or control group (pharmacological therapy alone). Laser acupuncture was performed with a LABpen MED 10 (675 nm/10 mW) at 5 ear and 4 body acupuncture points, bilaterally, and sessions were repeated every day. The primary outcome measure was duration of oral morphine therapy for NAS. Secondary outcomes included highest single Finnegan score, time to highest single Finnegan score, maximum amount of oral morphine solution (in milliliters per kilogram and milligrams per kilogram), time to maximum amount of oral morphine solution, and length of hospital stay.

RESULTS

Twenty-eight newborns (14 in each group) were eligible for analysis. Duration of oral morphine therapy was significantly reduced in the acupuncture group compared with the control group (28 vs 39 days, respectively, P = .019). In addition, we observed a significantly reduced length of hospital stay in the acupuncture group compared with the control group (35 days [interquartile range 25 to 47] vs 50 days [36 to 66], P = .048).

CONCLUSIONS

Adjunctive laser acupuncture significantly reduced the duration of morphine therapy in newborns with NAS.

Actigraphic measurements in opioid detoxification with methadone or buprenorphine

The objective of the present naturalistic study was to assess the differential effects of opioid detoxification with methadone or buprenorphine on activity, circadian rhythm, and sleep. Forty-two consecutive inpatients with opiate addiction were switched to either methadone or buprenorphine and gradually tapered down over the course of 2 to 3 weeks. There were no significant differences in comedication (lofexidine, quetiapine, and valproic acid) between the methadone and buprenorphine groups. Patients in the methadone group showed 11% lower activity and were 24 minutes phase delayed as compared with buprenorphine-treated patients, whereas the latter had 2.5% lower sleep efficiency and 9% shorter actual sleep time. These significant group differences were most pronounced for the lowest doses (≤20% of maximum individual daily dose, ie, at the end of withdrawal representing late withdrawal effects). Furthermore, for the total sample, we found a significant decrease in the relative amplitude of the sleep-wake cycle and worsening of all actigraphic sleep parameters from the higher (100% to 20%) to the lowest doses (20% to 0%). The acrophase of the circadian rhythm displayed a phase advance (-88 minutes) from the highest (100% to 80%) to the lower doses (80% to 0%) in methadone-treated patients. Opioid tapering with methadone or buprenorphine leads to characteristic changes of the rest-activity cycle, but further study is required to validate these results.