Quality of life in patients on methadone maintenance treatment: A three-month assessment

Objective: To examine the 3-month effect of methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) on quality of life (QOL) of substance-dependent outpatients in Iran.Methods: The qausi-experimental study performed at the Oral Maintenance Methadone Treatment Clinic of the Baharan Psychiatric Hospital, a university hospital in Zahedan, southeast of Iran, from 2009 to 2010. One hundred patients with substance-dependence disorder were recruited from the outpatient clinic. Quality of life parametres were measured through the World Health Organization Quality of Life scale (WHO QOL-BREF) prior to the treatment, and 1, 2 and 3 months after starting the treatment in order to assess changes in the Quality of Life across the treatment period. Repeated measurement analysis was used for data analysis.Results: Of the 100 subjects initially recruited, 83 (83%) completed the study period. The total Quality of Life score improved from pre-treatment to the first month into treatment. The improvement was maintained at the 2-month and 3-month points (P .05). According to the World Health Organization subscales, the treatment was effective in improving physical and social relationship domains over time (P .05), but there were no significant improvements in psychological and environmental domains.Conclusions: Oral methadone maintenance treatment was effective in improving the overall Quality of Life during the first three months of treatment in substance-dependent outpatients