What Researchers Did
Researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial in the northwestern United States to investigate hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) as an adjunct to reduce withdrawal symptoms for adults initiating a medically supervised methadone dose reduction.
What They Found
Of the 17 participants randomized to HBOT, 13 (76.5%) underwent medical screening and sessions, with 9 (69.2%) completing all five 90-minute sessions. At 3 months, the HBOT group maintained an average 4.3-mg methadone dose reduction, compared with an average reduction of 0.25 mg for control group participants. Opioid withdrawal symptoms were also reduced by twice as much after Day 1 of HBOT compared with the control condition.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
Canadian patients undergoing methadone dose reduction might benefit from adjunctive hyperbaric oxygen therapy to manage withdrawal symptoms and achieve greater dose reductions. This could potentially improve treatment adherence and quality of life during a challenging phase of opioid use disorder treatment.
Canadian Relevance
This study was conducted in the United States and has no direct Canadian connection.
Study Limitations
The small sample size and single-site nature of this study limit the generalizability of its findings.