Risks of returning to opioid use at treatment entry and early in opioid use disorder treatment: Role of non-opioid substances

Abstract

Objective: Patients in treatment with medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) often report use of other substances in addition to opioids. Few studies exist that examine the relationship between use at treatment entry and early non-opioid use in opioid treatment outcome.

Methodology: We combined and harmonized three randomized, controlled MOUD clinical trials from the National Institutes of Drug Abuse (NIDA) Clinical Trials Network (CTN) (N=2197) and investigated the association of non-opioid substance use at treatment entry and during early treatment with a return to opioid use. The trials compared MOUD treatment (buprenorphine, methadone, extended-release naltrexone) in populations with opioid use disorder (OUD). Non-opioid substances were identified through harmonizing self-reported use. The primary outcomes were markers of return to opioid use by 12 weeks.

Results: When treatment cohorts were adjusted, no association between self-reported treatment entry use of non-opioid substances and week-12 opioid use was detected. During the first month of treatment, higher use of cocaine (OR 1.41 [1.18-1.69]) and amphetamine (OR 1.70 [1.27-2.26]) was found to be associated with higher likelihood of illicit opioid use by week 12. Exploratory analyses of potential treatment cohort-by-predictor interactions showed that those with heavier cocaine use had a lower rate of returning to opioid use in the extended-release naltrexone group than in the methadone group.

Conclusion: Substance use other than opioids at treatment entry is not associated with relapse. Use of cocaine or amphetamines during the first few weeks of MOUD treatment may signal a worse outcome, suggesting a need for additional interventions.

Keywords: Clinical trials; MOUD; Opioids.