ArticleAddiction science & clinical practice2026
Adapting opioid therapy: real-world analysis of switching from methadone to slow-release morphine and back amid COVID-19 supply chain disruptions.
Article in Addiction science & clinical practice, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThis study evaluated the effectiveness and patient outcomes of a temporary switch from methadone to slow-release oral morphine (SROM) during COVID-19-related supply disruptions in Lithuania in 2022.
methodsData from 231 patients at the Vilnius Branch of the Republican Centre for Addictive Disorders who received SROM for at least two days were retrospectively analyzed. The key metrics included methadone and SROM dosages, withdrawal severity (Clinical Opioid Withdrawal Scale (COWS)), and retention rates at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months post-switch. The data were compared by sex, methadone dosage group (low: 10-60 mg/d, medium: 61-100 mg/d, high: 101-150 mg/d), and clinic attendance frequency. To contextualize long-term outcomes, retention rates were compared with annual program-level data from 2018 to 2024.
resultsPatients received SROM for an average of 8.4 days at an initial methadone-to-SROM ratio of 1:4, which increased to 1:5.23. Withdrawal symptoms were generally mild, peaking at a mean COWS score of 8.2. Women experienced more severe symptoms than men did. After two weeks of SROM therapy, methadone supplies were restored, and patients resumed their original treatment. The retention rates remained high at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months (97.8%, 96.1%, 93.5%, and 89.2%, respectively), with higher retention rates among patients with take-home doses, higher baseline methadone dosages, or longer treatment histories. Long-term program data confirmed that the temporary switch to SROM did not adversely affect overall treatment engagement compared with preceding and subsequent years.
conclusionsA temporary switch to SROM effectively managed methadone supply disruptions by serving as a viable substitute for methadone, causing minimal withdrawal symptoms and maintaining long-term retention. Coordinated clinical monitoring, institutional protocols, and supportive policy measures ensure continuity of care, emphasizing the value of flexible, personalized treatment strategies during crises.
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.