Clinical Trials Logo

Clinical Trial Summary

Justification and aims of the study: The principal aim of use of opiate substitutes such as methadone or high-dose buprenorphine (HDB) is to reduce the need or the desire to consume the opiate to which the patient is addicted. Adjustment of the initial dose and regular re-evaluation of the efficacy of treatment are key elements in the success of such management. While too high a dose can be responsible for side effects leading to abandonment of treatment, too low a dose can induce the reappearance or even the reinforcing of parallel consumption of other psychoactive substances, in particular cocaine, alcohol and cannabis. The principal aim of this project is to determine the course of parallel consumption in patients who have been receiving a maintenance dose of methadone or HDB for at least two months, by analysis of a sample of hair, a biological matrix which is innovative for this type of study. Hair testing establishes a retrospective profile of consumption. The secondary aims of this project are (i) to validate the French versions of Handelsman's subjective and objective opiate withdrawal scales and to seek a possible correlation between high scores on these scales and the presence of parallel consumption, and (ii) to seek an association between polyconsumption and common functional polymorphisms of metabolic enzymes of methadone and HDB.

Expected results: Hair testing, which has the particular advantage of a long detection window so that samples need only be taken at intervals, could improve the biological monitoring of patients on substitutive treatment.

Validation of the French version of Handelsman's scales of objective and subjective signs of opiate withdrawal and search for any correlation with parallel consumption will enable these scales to be used in daily practice for clinical surveillance of patients on substitutive treatment.

If a polymorphism of a metabolic enzyme of one or other of these molecules is detected, rapid genotyping of a simple saliva sample will be valuable in guiding the choice of medication when deciding on a treatment strategy


Clinical Trial Description

Methodology: The two populations of patients, one treated with methadone, the other with HDB, will be recruited in accordance with the ethical principles of the declaration of Helsinki, during consultations at a center for addiction treatment. One hundred and ten patients will be included in each of the two populations. Written informed consent will be obtained from each patient. Anonymity will be respected at inclusion and throughout. Using a sample of hair, testing for and measurement of the principal drugs (opiates, cannabis, cocaine, amphetamines) and the specific marker of ethanol consumption, ethyl glucuronide, will be performed by chromatographic techniques (high-performance liquid chromatography and gas phase chromatography) together with detection by mass or tandem mass spectrometry. This non-invasive sampling is more informative than blood tests, as it gives a retrospective profile of an individual's consumption over several months. Treatment efficacy will also be assessed using Handelsman's subjective and objective opiate withdrawal scales. Lastly, polymorphisms of the metabolic enzymes of methadone and HDB will be sought by real-time PCR in a saliva sample, a method which gives similar results without the need for venous blood sampling. ;


Study Design

Allocation: Non-Randomized, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Open Label


Related Conditions & MeSH terms


NCT number NCT01285856
Study type Interventional
Source Assistance Publique Hopitaux De Marseille
Contact Anne Laure Pelissier-Alicot
Phone +33491384748
Email anne-laure.pelissier@ap-hm.fr
Status Recruiting
Phase N/A
Start date August 2010
Completion date August 2015

See also
  Status Clinical Trial Phase
Active, not recruiting NCT04070521 - EEG Monitoring in the Emergency Department
Completed NCT00729391 - Women-Focused HIV Prevention in the Western Cape Phase 2/Phase 3
Active, not recruiting NCT03129334 - Preventing Prescription Drug Abuse in Middle School Students N/A
Completed NCT02733003 - Implementation Research for Vulnerable Women in South Africa N/A
Completed NCT02573948 - Feasibility of Interventions on People Who Inject Drugs in Vietnam
Completed NCT02282306 - Phone Interview to Prevent Recurring Opioid Overdoses N/A
Withdrawn NCT01847300 - cSBI-M for Young Military Personnel N/A
Withdrawn NCT01523444 - Advancing Adolescent Screening and Brief Intervention Protocols in Primary Care Settings Phase 3
Completed NCT01481428 - Reducing High Risk Behavior in Treatment Court Phase 1
Completed NCT01601743 - Exercise as a Behavioral Treatment for Cocaine Dependence N/A
Completed NCT01591239 - Home-Based Program to Help Parents of Drug Abusing Adolescents N/A
Active, not recruiting NCT00847548 - Treatment of Intimate Partner Violence and Substance Abuse in a Forensic Setting N/A
Completed NCT01614015 - Building Outcomes With Observation-Based Supervision: An FFT Effectiveness Trial Phase 2
Withdrawn NCT01228890 - Primary Care Internet-Based Depression Prevention for Adolescents (CATCH-IT) Phase 3
Completed NCT01621334 - The Men's Domestic Abuse Check-Up Engages Adult Men Concerned About Their Abusive Behavior and Alcohol or Drug Use Phase 1
Completed NCT00841711 - Transitions: Linkages From Jail To Community N/A
Completed NCT00717444 - Healthy Activities for Prize Incentives N/A
Completed NCT01465490 - Monitoring and Feedback in Substance Abuse Treatment Phase 1/Phase 2
Completed NCT00685074 - Computer-based Brief Intervention for Perinatal Substance Abuse Phase 1/Phase 2
Completed NCT01188434 - Integrating Interventions for Maternal Substance Abuse Phase 1