Case 2: Heroin Use and HIV

Question | Discussion | References | CME Credit

You answered:

	In the United States, any physician can administer methadone maintenance to an HIV-infected patient after completing a three-hour training course regarding appropriate use of methadone for treatment of heroin addiction.

This answer is incorrect. In the United States, only methadone maintenance clinics can legally administer methadone maintenance therapy. In addition, patients must fulfill specific criteria for admittance to an opioid maintenance program. These rules do not vary based on the patient’s HIV status.

Choose another answer:

	For a chronic heroin user, medical detoxification with methadone is more likely than methadone maintenance therapy to successfully reduce long-term heroin use.
	The use of buprenorphine in the out-patient setting is limited by its very short half-life and the required four times a day administration.
	In the United States, buprenorphine may now be provided legally through outpatient medical clinics, but physicians who intend to prescribe buprenorphine are required to undergo special training and receive a waiver from the SAMHSA Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.

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