| Methods |
Randomised controlled trial. Setting: inpatient treatment. |
| Participants |
76 heroin‐dependent by DSM IV, were eligible, 68 treated. (1) 36 (2) 32. Mean age (1) 30.5 years, (2) 29.8; time from first use of heroin (1) 9.5 (2) 8.8. Past month use of other substances for all participants: benzodiazepine 67.6%, amphetamine, 5%, non prescribed methadone 5%, cocaine 1%, crack 2%. Excl c.: serious major psychiatric illness, serious physical illness. |
| Interventions |
(1) Methadone 30 mg/day 1, 25 mg/day days 2 and 3, 20 mg/day days 4 and 5, then tapered to 0 in 10 days. (2) Lofexidine 0.6 mg day 1, increased of 0.4 mg/day until day 4, 2 mg/day for three days, next 3 days dose tapered by 0.4 mg/day. Scheduled duration of the study 10 days. Country of origin: Europe (UK). |
| Outcomes |
Completion rate as failure to complete detoxification. Acceptability of the treatment as withdrawal symptom severity, rates and timing of withdrawal.
Other: severity of psychological aspects of drug dependence. |
| Notes |
Withdrawal Problems Scale, Short Opiate Withdrawal Scale both self‐rated daily. Severity of Dependency Scales. Hypotension, lying and sitting blood pressure, heart rate measured twice daily. |
| Risk of bias |
| Bias |
Authors' judgement |
Support for judgement |
| Random sequence generation (selection bias) |
Unclear risk |
method not reported |
| Allocation concealment (selection bias) |
Low risk |
random allocation by pharmacist |
| Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias)
All outcomes |
Low risk |
staff and patients blind to medication |
| Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias)
All outcomes |
Low risk |
stated as blind |
| Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias)
All outcomes |
Unclear risk |
results on all randomised participants |
