Paciente en programa de mantenimiento con metadona

Abstract

Objective The case of a patient addicted to heroine, receiving maintenance treatment with methadone and diagnosed as HIV positive since 1991, is presented. Material and methods The toxicological history of a 43 year old male is revised, as is his organic and psychiatric pathology and the social problem that his dependency has produced. Results After describing the patient's toxicological history in detail, the principal diagnosis is carried out along with that of other concomitant psychiatric disorders following the DSM-IV criteria. The possibilities for treatment of the opiate dependency disorder are mentioned, and the substitution treatment with agonists (methadone) is analysed in detail. Conclusions For the patient addicted to heroine, the priority is to maintain adherence to the treatment, as this will achieve a reduction or suppression of the consumption, health control of accompanying pathologies and an improvement in the social conflict situation, all of which will result in an improvement in the quality of life. The substitution treatment with agonists (methadone, buprenorphine, etc.) has shown itself to be useful in this sense since, on alleviating the symptoms of abstinence and blocking the desire to consume opiates, it has been well accepted among these patients.