Cannabis use may predict opioid use in women undergoing addictions treatment, study says
A new study suggests that the use of cannabis may impact treatment in women undergoing methadone treatment therapy.
Researchers from St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and McMaster University have found that women in methadone treatment who use cannabis are 82 per cent more likely to continue using opioids. This means that women who use cannabis are at high risk of failing methadone treatment.
“About 60 per cent of men and 44 per cent of women who are undergoing methadone treatment therapy also use cannabis,” said the study’s senior author, Dr. Zena Samaan. “Tailoring treatment to the patient’s sex can help us to assess the patient’s risk better and deliver more accurate, personalized treatment.” Samaan is an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioural neurosciences at McMaster University and a clinician and researcher at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.
These findings could influence the way in which women diagnosed with opioid use disorder are treated.
Learn more about this story from The Hamilton Spectator, Monthly Prescribing Reference, and Yahoo News.