Patients with opioid addiction who receive prescription opioids for treatment of chronic non-malignant pain present a therapeutic challenge. Fifty-four patients with chronic pain and opioid addiction were randomized to receive methadone or buprenorphine/naloxone. At the 6-month follow-up, 26 (48.1%) participants who remained in the study noted a 12.75% reduction in pain (P = 0.043) and compared to 5 in the buprenorphine group, none in the methadone group reported illicit opioid use (P = 0.039). Other differences between the two conditions were not found. Long-term low-dose methadone or buprenorphine/naloxone treatment produced analgesia in patients with chronic pain and opioid addiction.
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