Canada’s new methadone prescribing guidance has influenced clinicians’ practice, new data suggest.

The publication of the guidance was associated with higher starting doses of methadone and a decrease in monotherapy. The provision of rapid dose titration, however, has remained limited.

“Though we noticed that there was an increasing trend toward higher doses in the second week of treatment, this was primarily driven by these patients being prescribed a higher dose,” study author Ria Garg, PharmD, PhD student at the University of Toronto’s Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, Toronto, told Medscape Medical News. “But most patients were not receiving an early dose titration within 4-6 days as recommended. We felt that this was a missed opportunity for reaching therapeutic effects.”

The study

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