Abstract
BackgroundWe investigated whether variation in the dopamine D2 receptor gene (DRD2) and tri-dimensional personality questionnaire (TPQ) scores could be used to aid adjustment of daily methadone requirements of heroin addicts. DRD2 TaqI B polymorphisms and TPQ scores were determined in 138 male Taiwanese heroin addicts who were receiving methadone treatment. Borderline index (harm avoidance + novelty seeking—reward dependence) was calculated for each subject, and three groups were defined: high (mean from all subjects plus 1 standard deviation, or greater), low (half of the calculated high score, or lower) and medium (all values between the high and low scores).ResultsNo significant differences in age (p = 0.60), mean methadone dose (p = 0.75) or borderline index group (p = 0.25) were observed between subjects bearing the B1/B1, B1/B2 and B2/B2 DRD2 TaqI genotypes. Among the individuals with low (≤10), medium (11–20) and high (≥21) borderline index scores, there was a significant difference in mean methadone dose (p = 0.04), but not age (p = 0.90). Further analysis showed that mean methadone dose was significantly higher in subjects with low borderline index scores than in those with high scores (62.5 vs. 47.0 mg/day, p = 0.03). The odds ratio for a daily methadone requirement ≥60 mg (median dose across the 138 subjects) was 2.64-fold greater in the low borderline index group than in the high group (p = 0.04).ConclusionsAlthough the DRD2 TaqI B genotype was not associated with methadone use requirements, borderline index was revealed as a potential predictive marker for the adjustment of methadone dosage requirements in heroin addicts.
Highlights
We investigated whether variation in the dopamine D2 receptor gene (DRD2) and tri-dimensional personality questionnaire (TPQ) scores could be used to aid adjustment of daily methadone requirements of heroin addicts
Further analysis showed that the mean methadone dose was significantly higher in subjects with a low (≤10) borderline index score than in those with a high (≥21) score (62.5 vs. 47.0 mg/day, p = 0.03), but no difference in mean dose was observed between medium and high (p = 0.12), and medium and low (p = 0.12) scoring subjects
We found no association between DRD2 TaqI B polymorphisms and TPQ scores
Summary
We investigated whether variation in the dopamine D2 receptor gene (DRD2) and tri-dimensional personality questionnaire (TPQ) scores could be used to aid adjustment of daily methadone requirements of heroin addicts. DRD2 TaqI B polymorphisms and TPQ scores were determined in 138 male Taiwanese heroin addicts who were receiving methadone treatment. In Taiwan, heroin addiction is still a serious problem with approximately 50–100,000 people dependent on the drug, accounting for more than 90 % of all illicit drug users [4]. The situation has a dangerous impact on national health. This trend highlights the urgent need to focus on preventive measures against HCV and HIV infection caused by needle sharing among the heroin-using population. In order to reduce the occurrence of these public health threats, methadone, the cost-effective replacement for heroin dependence, was introduced as a maintenance treatment for heroin addiction in Taiwan in 2006 [4]. From the viewpoint of infection control, methadone treatment for heroin addiction
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