Treatment Response of Opium Smoking Hmong Refugees to Methadone Maintenance

Objective: To examine the outcome of methadone maintenance in opium dependent Hmong refugees. Methods: Medical records were searched for Hmong patients in methadone treatment between 01/1995 and 09/1997. Patient's progress was assessed over nine months. Results: 44 Hmong patients were found. Data was available on 40 patients, mean age of 47.7 years, 33 males/7 females. At admission 100% met the DSM-IV criteria for Opium Dependence, 75% Major Depressive Disorder and 68% PTSD. Patients showed marked improvement by having mostly negative urine drug screens, improvement on Addiction Severity Index and 70% being highly successful on outcome criteria modified by Drug Abuse Research Project over 9 months. Conclusions: These findings suggest that opium dependent Hmong patients can show marked improvement while in methadone maintenance program. Prospective controlled studies are warranted.