Effects of HIV triple therapy on methadone levels.

There is a belief among methadone patients that triple therapy for HIV reduces methadone potency. This cross-sectional study compared the rate of methadone metabolism (peak-trough blood levels) in two groups of methadone-maintained patients, AIDS patients receiving triple therapy (N = 17), and HIV patients without triple therapy (N = 19). These preliminary findings suggest that triple therapy may increase the rate of methadone metabolism, though further studies are warranted.