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Heroin Addiction and Related Clinical Problems: 2002, 04, 1 (pages: 29 - 36)

Does therapeutic threshold of methadone concentration in plasma exist

Okruhlica L., Devinsk F., Valentova D., Klempova D.

Summary: This study was conducted among the group of 69 patients in the methadone maintenance programme in Bratislava. There were 56 males and 13 females, with an average age of 26.9 years (SD ± 5.4). Daily methadone doses (mean: 134 mg, SD ± 56.1, from 10 to 270 mg) were compared with methadone concentrations in plasma (mean: 376.6 ng/ml, SD ± 226.1, from 44 to 1103 ng/ml); of these, 17.4% of the patients had levels below the threshold of 200 ng/ml of plasmatic concentration of methadone, whereas 15.9% had levels above the level of 600 ng/ml. All of them had previously been stabilized clinically, with negative urinalysis for morphine