SynthesisCellular and molecular neurobiology2009
A meta-analysis of acupuncture combined with opioid receptor agonists for treatment of opiate-withdrawal symptoms.
Synthesis in Cellular and molecular neurobiology, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 34 citations in OpenAlex.
- Acupuncture for neonatal abstinence syndrome in newborn infants.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Effectiveness of non-opioid interventions to reduce opioid withdrawal symptoms in patients with chronic pain: a systematic review.Family practice · 2022Pooled it
- Acupuncture for Opioid Dependence Patients Receiving Methadone Maintenance Treatment: A Network Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Pooled it
- Methadone at tapered doses for the management of opioid withdrawal.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2013Pooled it
- Article
- Comparison of the Safety and Efficacy of Biodegradable Microneedle Acupuncture and Sterile Acupuncture: study protocol for a prospective, confirmatory, superiority, multicenter, parallel, single-blinded randomized controlled trial.Journal of pharmacopuncture · 2025Article
- Acupuncture for protracted opioid abstinence syndrome: study protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ open · 2023Article
- Unique Pharmacology, Brain Dysfunction, and Therapeutic Advancements for Fentanyl Misuse and Abuse.Neuroscience bulletin · 2022Review
- Clinical Study of Paliperidone Palmitate Long-Acting Injection Combined With Electroacupuncture in the Treatment of Methamphetamine Addicts.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2021Article
- Acupuncture/Electroacupuncture as an Alternative in Current Opioid Crisis.Chinese journal of integrative medicine · 2020Article
- Auricular neural stimulation as a new non-invasive treatment for opioid detoxification.Bioelectronic medicine · 2020Review
- Efficacy of Electroacupuncture Combined with Methadone Maintenance Therapy: A Case-Control Study.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2019Article
- Utilization of group-based, community acupuncture clinics: a comparative study with a nationally representative sample of acupuncture users.Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.) · 2012Article
- Acupuncture, the limbic system, and the anticorrelated networks of the brain.Autonomic neuroscience : basic & clinical · 2010Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
This review extends a prior meta-analysis of acupuncture's utility for treating opioid detoxification, addressing the efficacy of acupuncture when combined with allopathic therapies. Both English and Chinese databases were searched for randomized trials comparing acupuncture combined with opioid agonist treatment versus opioid agonists alone for treating symptoms of opioid withdrawal. The methodological quality of each study was assessed with Jadad's scale (1-2 = low; 3-5 = high). Meta-analysis was performed with fixed- or random-effect models in RevMan software; the outcome measures assessed were withdrawal-symptoms score, relapse rate, side effects, and medication dosage. Withdrawal-symptom scores were lower in combined treatment trials than in agonist-alone trials on withdrawal days 1, 7, 9, and 10. Combined treatment also produced lower reported rates of side effects and appeared to lower the required dose of opioid agonist. There was no significant difference on relapse rate after 6 months. This meta-analysis suggests that acupuncture combined with opioid agonists can effectively be used to manage the withdrawal symptoms. One limitation of this meta-analysis is the poor quality of the methodology of some included trials. High-quality studies are needed to confirm findings regarding the side effects and medication dosage.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.