The influence of the length of methadone maintenance treatment on quality of life of opioid addicts

Background: Given the chronic and relapsing nature of addiction diseases and the various life domains they affect, the interest for quality of life research in the field of drug abuse has grown rapidly. Aim: Evaluation and comparison of quality of life in opioid addicts who are on methadone maintenance therapy for no longer than 2 years, from 2 to 5 years, or more than 5 years. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in May 2013. Data were obtained by anonymous survey of 78 patients who were involved in methadone maintenance treatment. Patients were divided into three groups (n = 26) depending on the length of treatment. Quality of life of the patients was assessed by WHOQOLBREF (World Health Organization Quality of Life) questionnaire. Results: Patients who are treated with methadone for 2 years or less, reported higher scores in almost all aspects of quality of life. Higher scores in the physical, social and environment domains were recorded in patients who had been treated from 2 to 5 years than the patients who had been treated for more than 5 years. However, these differences were not statistically significant. The most common side effects during the therapy were constipation (32.1%), sweating (32.1%) and difficulty of falling in and maintaining sleep (30.8%). Conclusion: Patients did not show statistically significant difference of quality of life in relation to the length of methadone maintenance treatment