Acupuncture cuts methadone dose, cravings in adults with opioid use disorder

Acupuncture for 8 weeks succeeds in lowering methadone dose and reducing cravings for opioid when compared with sham acupuncture, reports a study.

This multicentre, randomized, sham-controlled trial was conducted in six methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) clinics in China. Adults aged ≤65 years with opioid use disorder who attended clinic daily and had been using MMT for at least 6 weeks were included.

A total of 118 participants met the eligibility criteria and were randomized to receive acupuncture (n=60) or sham acupuncture (n=58) three times a week for 8 weeks.

The primary outcomes were opioid craving, measured by the change from baseline on a 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS) and the proportion of participants who achieved a decrease in methadone dose of 20 percent or more relative to baseline.

More patients achieved a ≥20-percent reduction in methadone dose with acupuncture than with sham acupuncture at 8 weeks (62 percent vs 29 percent; risk difference, 32 percent, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 13‒52; p<0.001). Acupuncture was also more effective than sham in reducing opioid craving, with a mean difference of ‒11.7 mm VAS (95 percent CI, ‒18.7 to ‒4.8; p<0.001).

Serious adverse events did not occur. Additionally, no significant between-group differences were noted when participants were asked which type of acupuncture they had received.

This study was limited by the fixed acupuncture protocol and the short follow-up after stopping acupuncture.