TY - JOUR
KW - Analgesics, Opioid/administration & dosage
KW - Buprenorphine, Naloxone Drug Combination
KW - Buprenorphine/administration & dosage
KW - Chi-Square Distribution
KW - Drug Dosage Calculations
KW - Drug Monitoring
KW - Heroin Dependence/complications/diagnosis/drug therapy
KW - Humans
KW - Italy
KW - Naloxone/administration & dosage
KW - Narcotic Antagonists/administration & dosage
KW - Opiate Substitution Treatment
KW - Predictive Value of Tests
KW - Receptors, Opioid/agonists
KW - Secondary prevention
KW - Substance Withdrawal Syndrome/diagnosis/drug therapy/etiology
KW - Surveys and Questionnaires
KW - Time Factors
KW - Treatment Outcome
AU - A. D'Amore
AU - F. Romano
AU - V. Biancolillo
AU - G. Lauro
AU - C. Armenante
AU - A. Pizzirusso
AU - S. Del Tufo
AU - C. Ruoppolo
AU - F. Auriemma
AU - F. Cassese
AU - P. Oliva
AU - P. Amato
A1 - 
AB - BACKGROUND: The dosing of opioid receptor agonist medications adequately and on an individual basis is crucial in the pharmacotherapy of opioid dependence. Clinical tools that are able to measure dose appropriateness are sorely needed. The recently developed and validated Opiate Dosage Adequacy Scale (ODAS) comprehensively evaluates the main outcomes relevant for methadone dose optimization, namely relapse, cross-tolerance, objective and subjective withdrawal symptoms, craving and overdose. Based on the ODAS, we developed a new assessment tool (BUprenorphine-naloxone Dosage Adequacy eVAluation [BUDAVA]) for evaluating dosage adequacy in patients in treatment with buprenorphine-naloxone. OBJECTIVE: The main goal of this observational study was to explore whether the BUDAVA questionnaire could be used to assess buprenorphine-based, long-term substitution therapy for heroin addiction. METHODS: The study included heroin-dependent patients who had been in treatment with buprenorphine-naloxone for at least 3 months. Patients (n = 196) were recruited from 11 drug abuse treatment centres in Italy. Dosage adequacy was assessed with the BUDAVA questionnaire. Patients classified as inadequately treated had their dosage modified. After 1 week, they were again administered the questionnaire to assess the adequacy of the new dosage. RESULTS: The buprenorphine-naloxone dosage was found to be inadequate in 61 of the 196 patients. In 13 patients, the treatment scored as inadequate only in the subjective withdrawal symptoms item of the questionnaire and therefore no dosage adjustment was made in the 2 weeks that have characterized this work. The remaining 48 inadequately treated patients had their dosage modified (42 dose increases and six dose decreases). After 1 week on the modified dosage, in 24 of these patients the new regimen was found by the assessment with the questionnaire to be adequate. CONCLUSION: These preliminary results suggest that the BUDAVA questionnaire may be useful for guiding buprenorphine-naloxone maintenance dose adjustments in heroin-dependent patients.
BT - Clinical drug investigation
C5 - Opioids & Substance Use; Measures
CP - 7
CY - New Zealand
DO - 10.2165/11633230-000000000-00000
IS - 7
JF - Clinical drug investigation
N2 - BACKGROUND: The dosing of opioid receptor agonist medications adequately and on an individual basis is crucial in the pharmacotherapy of opioid dependence. Clinical tools that are able to measure dose appropriateness are sorely needed. The recently developed and validated Opiate Dosage Adequacy Scale (ODAS) comprehensively evaluates the main outcomes relevant for methadone dose optimization, namely relapse, cross-tolerance, objective and subjective withdrawal symptoms, craving and overdose. Based on the ODAS, we developed a new assessment tool (BUprenorphine-naloxone Dosage Adequacy eVAluation [BUDAVA]) for evaluating dosage adequacy in patients in treatment with buprenorphine-naloxone. OBJECTIVE: The main goal of this observational study was to explore whether the BUDAVA questionnaire could be used to assess buprenorphine-based, long-term substitution therapy for heroin addiction. METHODS: The study included heroin-dependent patients who had been in treatment with buprenorphine-naloxone for at least 3 months. Patients (n = 196) were recruited from 11 drug abuse treatment centres in Italy. Dosage adequacy was assessed with the BUDAVA questionnaire. Patients classified as inadequately treated had their dosage modified. After 1 week, they were again administered the questionnaire to assess the adequacy of the new dosage. RESULTS: The buprenorphine-naloxone dosage was found to be inadequate in 61 of the 196 patients. In 13 patients, the treatment scored as inadequate only in the subjective withdrawal symptoms item of the questionnaire and therefore no dosage adjustment was made in the 2 weeks that have characterized this work. The remaining 48 inadequately treated patients had their dosage modified (42 dose increases and six dose decreases). After 1 week on the modified dosage, in 24 of these patients the new regimen was found by the assessment with the questionnaire to be adequate. CONCLUSION: These preliminary results suggest that the BUDAVA questionnaire may be useful for guiding buprenorphine-naloxone maintenance dose adjustments in heroin-dependent patients.
PP - New Zealand
PY - 2012
SN - 1179-1918; 1173-2563
SP - 427
EP - 432
EP - 
T1 - Evaluation of buprenorphine dosage adequacy in opioid receptor agonist substitution therapy for heroin dependence: first use of the BUprenorphine-naloxone Dosage Adequacy eVAluation (BUDAVA) questionnaire
T2 - Clinical drug investigation
TI - Evaluation of buprenorphine dosage adequacy in opioid receptor agonist substitution therapy for heroin dependence: first use of the BUprenorphine-naloxone Dosage Adequacy eVAluation (BUDAVA) questionnaire
U1 - Opioids & Substance Use; Measures
U2 - 22559256
U3 - 10.2165/11633230-000000000-00000
VL - 32
VO - 1179-1918; 1173-2563
Y1 - 2012
ER -