*4.1.5. Indicator: type of drug addiction*

More than half of the patients of the target group are poly-drugaddicts (52.5%, 43/82), because they consume heroin and, occasionally, other types of drugs (frequently NPS, Cannabis or Ecstasy). Thus, the statistics on drug consumption show an important proportion of new psychoactive substances ("ethnobotanicals," like PUR, MAGIC, SPICE), marijuana and hashish in a context of chronic use of heroin. The consumption of ethno-botanicals is the most frequent, being reported by 58% of the patients with poly-drug consumption. It is also noted a relatively high incidence (nearly 20–30%) of psychostimulants use, for example types of

The data in terms of demographic characteristics, addiction, and comorbidity are in accordance with the official statistics and reports. Thus according to the annual report with respect to the situation of drugs in Europe, in 2012, the number of the male patients, consumers of opiates, exceeds three times the number of female consumers. Most of the opiates consumers report that they have first started using the drug before the age of 30, and nearly half (46%) of all the opiates consumers confess that they started before the age of 20. Generally, the opiates consumers frequently report their lack of a dwelling, unemployment, as well as a more

Methadone Treatment for Heroin Dependence http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.78066 127

The national report as regards the situation of drugs [20] shows that, at national level, the profile of the consumers of injection drugs, no matter the provided assistance (program of changing the syringes, admission to treatment, and emergency assistance), reveals a 30 year old man, who lives in Bucharest and has a long period of drug consumption, the main drug used belonging to the opiates category. Out of 1529 persons who received medical assistance in 2013, for illegal drugs consumption and NPS, nearly half of them were consumers of opiates, and among them 328 had previous episodes of substitute treatment with methadone or

On the other hand, according to the official data, the heroin (42.7%) and NPS represent the most important types of substances which was the reason why consumers called medical assistance for; however, although heroin is the main drug for which were most treatment demands, significant differences have also been reported among beneficiaries who received previous medical assistance and the new cases, which outlines a possible change in the pat-

Applying some specific statistic methods (the SPSS program, Pearson, Spearman, Kendal correlations), we have evaluated the possible correlations among the analyzed indicators/parameters. Thus, we have obtained positive correlations which are statistically significant among the parameters (**Table 2**): age-length of consumption; age-length of consumption previous to the first MMT; length of the consumption – length of consumption previous to the first MMT; comorbidities – length of consumption previous to the first MMT (suggesting the positive influence of the treatment on the morbidity); the methadone dose - length of consumption previous to the first MMT; MMT number- number of previous hospitalizations. The MMT numbers previous to the presented study has correlated with the number of psychological counseling meetings and this underlines the importance of the psychological intervention,

The methodology of the quantitative and qualitative toxicological analysis provides with a support, useful in order to analytically diagnose of the drug abuse and to initiate and super-

reduced level of education than the primary consumers of other drugs [21].

other opiates.

tern of drug consumption.

**4.3. Toxicological analysis**

vise the substitution treatment.

**4.2. Statistic correlations among the evaluated indicators**

along with the pharmaceutical treatment with methadone.

*4.3.1. Indicator: the urine concentration of heroin and metabolites*

**Figure 4.** Proportion of the patients according to the duration of the consumption, previous to MMT.

cocaine or designer amphetamines with a hallucinogen component (ex. Ecstasy). Other different hallucinogens (ex. L.S.D., ketamine) have occasionally been reported.

#### *4.1.6. Indicator: way of administration of the heroin*

The most frequent way of the heroin administration is the i.v. (all the patients have declared the intravenous use of the heroin, in most cases, even at the onset use of the heroin (78% of the patients). The other patients have used it differently: smoking or nose sniffing.

The study shows that most of the patients had previous hospitalizations (70.7%, 58/82), an average number of 8.31 periods and previous periods of MMT (48.78%, 40/82 patients), an average number of 5.45 treatments, previous to the presented study. Also, 40.24% of the patients (33/82) have benefited from psychological counseling, an average of 9.48 meetings. Referring to the abstinence length, only a little percentage (24.4%, 20/82) had abstinence on relatively short length of time, up to 1 year.

These results show that, among the confirmed drugaddicts, the opiates consumers present the most invalidating, with the longest duration and frequency of drug consumption, with a lower compliance to treatment and high resistance as regards the initiation and the maintenance of the abstinence. These present a high frequency of relapses as well as long term and high intensity of drug consumption.

The data in terms of demographic characteristics, addiction, and comorbidity are in accordance with the official statistics and reports. Thus according to the annual report with respect to the situation of drugs in Europe, in 2012, the number of the male patients, consumers of opiates, exceeds three times the number of female consumers. Most of the opiates consumers report that they have first started using the drug before the age of 30, and nearly half (46%) of all the opiates consumers confess that they started before the age of 20. Generally, the opiates consumers frequently report their lack of a dwelling, unemployment, as well as a more reduced level of education than the primary consumers of other drugs [21].

The national report as regards the situation of drugs [20] shows that, at national level, the profile of the consumers of injection drugs, no matter the provided assistance (program of changing the syringes, admission to treatment, and emergency assistance), reveals a 30 year old man, who lives in Bucharest and has a long period of drug consumption, the main drug used belonging to the opiates category. Out of 1529 persons who received medical assistance in 2013, for illegal drugs consumption and NPS, nearly half of them were consumers of opiates, and among them 328 had previous episodes of substitute treatment with methadone or other opiates.

On the other hand, according to the official data, the heroin (42.7%) and NPS represent the most important types of substances which was the reason why consumers called medical assistance for; however, although heroin is the main drug for which were most treatment demands, significant differences have also been reported among beneficiaries who received previous medical assistance and the new cases, which outlines a possible change in the pattern of drug consumption.
