Opioid consumption frequency and its associations with potential life problems during opioid agonist treatment in individuals with prescription-type opioid use disorder: exploratory results from the OPTIMA Study

Harm Reduct J. 2025 Feb 8;22(1):14. doi: 10.1186/s12954-025-01157-4.

Abstract

Background: Traditional treatment approaches for prescription-type opioid use disorder (POUD), centered on abstinence, have limitations and hinder the development of interventions that meet the needs of people with POUD. Reduction in use without complete abstinence presents a promising avenue for intervention enhancement, but supporting data is scarce regarding its translation into positive patient outcomes. This study explores whether reducing opioid use frequency (OUF) during opioid agonist treatment correlates with reduced potential life problems in individuals with POUD, including those using fentanyl.

Methods: This study is an exploratory analysis of the OPTIMA trial, a pragmatic, open-label, randomized controlled study comparing the effectiveness of flexible take-home dosing of buprenorphine/naloxone and supervised methadone in reducing opioid use amongst individuals with POUD. OUF was assessed every two weeks for 24 weeks after treatment initiation using the Timeline Followback. Potential life problems were evaluated at baseline and study completion using the Addiction Severity Index Self-Report. The 114 participants who completed both baseline and end-of-study questionnaires were included. A repeated-measures generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) was used to evaluate the influence of OUF on potential life problems.

Results: Reducing OUF was significantly associated with fewer problems related to medical status (p = 0.049), psychiatric status (p = 0.019), and alcohol problem severity (p = 0.001). The interaction was non-significant for employment (p = 0.264), family status (p = 0.352) and legal status (p = 0.050). Life improvements emerged with ≤ 21 days of opioid use per 28-day period.

Conclusion: Findings underscore the significance of harm reduction goals focusing on opioid use reduction, which translated in improvements across many life domains.

Trial registration: Study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03033732) prior to participant enrollment.

Keywords: Harm reduction; Opioid agonist treatment; Opioid use disorder; Opioid use frequency; Patient-centered outcomes; Potential life problems.

Publication types

  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Pragmatic Clinical Trial

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Analgesics, Opioid* / administration & dosage
  • Analgesics, Opioid* / therapeutic use
  • Buprenorphine / therapeutic use
  • Buprenorphine, Naloxone Drug Combination* / therapeutic use
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Methadone* / administration & dosage
  • Methadone* / therapeutic use
  • Middle Aged
  • Narcotic Antagonists / therapeutic use
  • Opiate Substitution Treatment* / methods
  • Opioid-Related Disorders* / drug therapy

Substances

  • Methadone
  • Analgesics, Opioid
  • Narcotic Antagonists
  • Buprenorphine, Naloxone Drug Combination
  • Buprenorphine

Associated data

  • ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT03033732