Results Of Long-Term Opioid Maintenance Treatment The Subscare Study

Objective German guidelines require an extensive assessment of the treatment plan and course after 5 years in opioid maintenance treatment (OMT). We analyse social and health related outcomes of patients who have been in OMT for longer than 5 years during a 2 years observation period.Methods Multicenter study with 130 long-term patients in OMT, using standardized questionnaires.Results The retention rate over 2 years was 82.3%. Regular termination of OMT was a rare (3.1%). About 25% of patients were continuously employed. About 25% were continuously abstinent from alcohol and illicit drug use. The majority of patients, though, suffered from comorbidities and was not well integrated into the general society.Conclusion A subgroup of long-term OMT patients appeared to be stable regarding the abstinence of addictive substances and social integration. However, the majority of patients in long-term OMT showed somatic and mental comorbidities and limited social integration. Therefore, a formal limitation of OMT is not suitable for those patients.