Drug Users' Experiences of Prescribed Injectable Methadone: The Impact on Drug Use and Perceptions of Stability

Abstract

Twenty of the 24 drug users receiving prescribed injectable methadone from a city-wide drug treatment service agreed to participate in a semi-structured interview about their drug use and treatment. Participants reported that they were originally prescribed injectable methadone to replace street purchases because they could not tolerate oral methadone or because of an inability to stop injecting. The experience of injectable methadone was reported as having led to significant improvements in drug use and life stability and reductions in risk behavior, but several participants compared injectable methadone unfavorably to injectable heroin, either in the form of street heroin or prescribed diamorphine. Although a number of the respondents reported sufficient stability to contemplate employment and relationships, few spoke about abstinence as a viable goal in the short-term and many participants reported considerable ambivalence about the experience of receiving injectable methadone prescriptions.