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Abstract Background and purpose: Drug abuse is a catastrophe for abusers, their families and the society. Increasing trends of opioid dependence has raised the concern of authorities and is considered as an important public health problem. Many developed countries use pharmacological treatments for opioid dependence, however, this is not accepted in many developing countries. Methadone maintenance treatment is one of the most frequently used methods to treat such patients. This study aimes at investigating the impact of MMT on the quality of life of patients under treatment. Materials and methods: In a quasi-experimental study, 203 opioid dependent under MMT program were studied in Omid treatment centre in Babol. EQ-5D questionnaire was used to evaluate the quality of life of patients before treatment, one and six month after treatment and then comparisons were made. Some information was also collected from the patient’s treatment record. All data were analyzed using SPSS. Results: Based on the findings of this study, among 5 dimensions of quality of life, the results showed that the health statues of individuals on two of them (pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression) were lower than the other dimensions. Methadone therapy significantly improved the quality of life of patients and this improvement was considerable at the end of first month. Conclusion: Pharmacological treatment and use of methadone therapy could be a useful method to treat opioid dependence in Iran. Furthermore, it could significantly improve the patients’ quality of life.

Keywords: Opioid substance, methadone, addiction, quality of life

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