Drug use, HIV-related risk behaviors and dropout status of new admissions and re-admissions to methadone treatment

New entrants to methadone maintenance treatment programs (MMTP) have been r eported to have different drug use patterns than readmissions. This study a ssesses differences between 211 re-admissions and 128 new admissions to a N YC MMTP. Those new to MMTP were found to be less likely to have ever inject ed drugs, have used more types of drugs, and used heroin at higher frequenc ies in the 30 days prior to admission. Within the first three months of tre atment, new admissions dropped out at a higher rate than the re-admissions (31% vs. 20%, p <0.05). The most frequent reasons for dropout, for both gro ups, included "lost to contact" and incarceration. Further research on stra tegies to address polydrug use of MMTP admissions is needed. Efforts to ide ntify concerns of new admissions early in treatment, and programs to contin ue drug treatment services to incarcerated clients, are indicated. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.