Twelve-month maintenance treatment of opium-dependent patients.

The goal of this study was to compare the effects of 1, 3 and 8 mg per day doses of buprenorphine in the maintenance treatment of opium-dependent subjects in Iran over a treatment period of 12 months. Participants were randomized to three equal groups (171 subjects per group) of opium-dependent individuals who met the DSM-IV criteria for opioid dependence and were seeking treatment. They were treated in an urban outpatient clinic, offering a 1-hour weekly individual counseling session.