Abstract
In a cross-sectional study aiming to explore various clusters of substance (ab)use, in 77 heroin addicts, during methadone or naltrexone maintenance, three multivariate dimensions were found. The first was saturated by items related to cocaine and unprescribed benzodiazepines ab(use); the second dimension referred to items related to alcohol, opioid and cannabinoid ab(use); the third was saturated by items related to the ab(use) of hallucinogens and cannabinoids without the ab(use) of alcohol. Polyabuse is most serious in methadone maintained patients with negative compliance. Higher methadone dosages seem to attenuate this phenomenon. Hereby, the search for an appropriate methadone dosage is crucial to the success of the treatment, because it reduces the risk of polydrug use during treatment, and allows an improvement in social rehabilitation.
