Methadone treatment of arrestees: A randomized clinical trial

Background: Opioid use disorder is common among detainees in US jails, yet methadone treatment is rarely initiated.

Methods: This is a three-group randomized controlled trial in which 225 detainees in Baltimore treated for opioid withdrawal were assigned to: (1) interim methadone (IM) with patient navigation (IM + PN); (2) IM; or (3) enhanced treatment-as-usual (ETAU). Participants in both IM groups were able to enter standard methadone treatment upon release, while ETAU participants received an assessment/referral number. Follow-up assessments at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months post-release determined treatment enrollment, urine drug testing results, self-reported days of drug use, criminal activity, and overdose events. Generalized linear mixed modelling examined two planned contrasts: (1) IM groups combined vs. ETAU; and (2) IM + PN vs. IM.

Results: On an intention-to-treat basis, compared to ETAU, significantly more participants in the combined IM groups were in treatment 30 days post-release, while the IM + PN vs. IM groups did not significantly differ. By month 12, there were no significant differences in the estimated marginal means of enrollment in any kind of drug treatment (0.40 and 0.27 for IM + PN and IM groups, respectively, compared to 0.29 for ETAU). There were no significant differences for either contrast in opioid-positive tests, although all groups reported a sharp decrease in heroin use from baseline to follow-up. There were five fatal overdoses, but none occurred during methadone treatment.

Conclusion: Initiating methadone treatment in jail was effective in promoting entry into community-based drug abuse treatment but subsequent treatment discontinuation attenuated any potential impact of such treatment.