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Should patients with hepatitis C undergo medication-assisted treatment for opiate addiction?

April 26, 2017addiction hepatitis c medication-assisted opiate Patients treatment undergo

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Should patients with hepatitis C undergo medication-assisted treatment for opiate addiction?

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Many patients who are addicted to opiates have been exposed to hepatitis C and are infectious. This is not a contra-indication for treatment of their opiate addiction, nor is opiate addiction a contra-indication for treatment of hepatitis C. Treatment of opiate addiction should be accompanied by screening for hepatitis C and other infectious diseases; treatment for the addiction can serve as an avenue for education about and treatment of hepatitis C and other infectious diseases. Both buprenorphine and methadone are appropriate medications for this population; patients and their clinicians should choose between them, based on patient preference and appropriate clinical issues. NIDA currently is funding a study in the Clinical Trials Network that is assessing the effects of buprenorphine/naloxone or methadone on liver enzymes in hepatitis C-positive and hepatitis C-negative opiate-dependent patients.