GUANGZHOU, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Acupuncture can assist in the treatment of opioid use disorder by reducing the dosage of methadone, a medicine used to taper off opioid addiction, according to a recent study.
Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is commonly used to wean off opioids, but its many adverse effects necessitate using the lowest possible dose to achieve optimal outcomes.
According to the paper published in Annals of Internal Medicine, after eight weeks of acupuncture, 62 percent of patients cut methadone dose by 20 percent or more, compared with 29 percent of those who received sham acupuncture.
The trial, designed by medical experts from south China's Guangdong Province, analysed 116 MMT receivers who were randomly assigned to take acupuncture or sham acupuncture. The acupoints selected are commonly used to treat psychiatric disorders.
Acupuncture receivers in the trial also reported reduced opioid cravings and higher sleeping quality, said Xu Nenggui, one author of the paper and a professor with the Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine.
Xu said the study has provided solid clinical evidence supporting the reduction of methadone doses using acupuncture, while highlighting the prospective applications of such interventions. ■
