Module 4 A 2

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RUNNING HEAD: METHADONE MAINTENANCE: TAKES THE CRAVING OF HEROIN USE AWAY AND IS AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT TO OPIATE ABUSERS

Methadone Maintenance: Takes the Craving of Heroin Use Away and is an Effective Treatment to Opiate Abusers

By Alexa Vigenser

Research Methods/Psych 302

Argosy University

March 4, 2015

Nice work Alexa, Please find your feedback attached. Be sure to review it and incorporate it into subsequent assignments. Take care, Yvonne B.

Assignment 2 Grading Criteria	Maximum Points
Provided five additional valid references and explained the reasoning behind their selection. Great selection, nice job researching.	20/20
Discussed the sampling technique for the proposed study and included the aspects of generalization, inclusion, and ethical issues as requested in the assignment Nice work in this section.	23/25
Provided a detailed outline of the intro/literature review section of the paper, along with revised hypothesis. Alexa, you have a good start to your outline for your review of the literature outline. However, it needs development and should include at least 4 references to support your information (these should be from the references you found in this assignment and the first assignment). Your outline needs to be an outline for your review of the literature, which you need to write for the Module 4 Assignment. A review of the literature is contains four main components: · Introduction to the problem As you write the outline, make sure your paper mentions how the previous research in the area leads to your question. · Background for the current study This section requires extensive planning and legwork. Your idea and research question evolve as you gather information and read articles and book chapters. Therefore, your understanding of the topic grows and you reorganize the information as per your thinking and approach. It is important to reorganize information using a specific method. · Purpose of the current study · Rationale behind each hypothesis you propose In the next two subsections—purpose and rationale—you will explain to the reader what you hope to accomplish and why your question makes sense.	17/25
Included an APA-style title page and reference page (with at least 10 references). If you use the templates provided in Doc Sharing this will help you out with your formatting. Also, be sure to use my feedback from M1_A3 to help with your formatting.	10/10
Wrote in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrated ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; displayed accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.	20/20
Total:	90/100

a. Introduction/statement of the problem (methadone effects on heroine)

I. Does methadone dose variations increase or decrease heroine craving

II. Many people are addicted to heroine and with this study, it can help establish the people who might be at risk and how to help them get the needed help

III. If we can establish the relationship between methadone dosage and heroine craving, then we can be able to know if it indeed increases or decreases the cravings

b. Literature review

Methadone is a medication that has opium contents. It has been used to help people with heroin addiction and others with a history of narcotic drug abuse problem by reducing their withdrawal symptoms. It has also been used as a reliever of pain as part of the detoxification of drug addiction and it can only be found at pharmacies that are certified (Curran, 1999).

Curran, H. V., Bolton, J., Wanigaratne, S., & Smyth, C. (1999). Additional methadone increases craving for heroin: A double-blind, placebo-controlled study of chronic opiate users receiving methadone substitution treatment. Addiction, 94(5), 665-74. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/199658703?accountid=2163

The medication should not be used by people who have breathing problems or asthma since it can slow down or in worst case scenario, stop their breathing. It should also not be used in amounts that are large or longer than the prescription (LoVecchio, 2007). Since the medication can cause life-threatening heart disorders, it is important to consult a doctor before taking the medication.

Statistics on methadone shows that its use is widespread. A study that was conducted a few years back in Victoria, Australia, showed that its use is quite vast and that many people have died using the medication (Pilgrim, 2013). The study showed that 206 deaths resulted from its use whereby these people took high dosages of the medicine without prescriptions. It also showed that within 14 days of commencing the use of methadone, 51 people died of which 15 were female and the remaining 36 were male.

Pilgrim, J. L., McDonough, M., & Drummer, O. H. (2013). A review of methadone deaths between 2001 and 2005 in Victoria, Australia. Forensic Science International (Online), 226(1), 216-22. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2013.01.028

The factors that increase the mortality of opioid medication in America and other areas around the world are many (King, 2014). Some of the main factors include the following.

· Prescriber behavior

· User behavior and characteristics

· Environmental and systematic determinants

According to the population and geography, these factors operate in ways that are independent and interact in complex ways.

King, N. B., Fraser, V., Boikos, C., Richardson, R., & Harper, S. (2014). Determinants of increased opioid-related mortality in the United States and Canada, 1990-2013: A systematic review. American Journal of Public Health, 104(8), e32-42. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1549549137?accountid=2163

Based on the research, the demographic characteristics in terms of the relationship between methadone use and gender shows that men are the ones who use methadone more compared to women (Moreno, 2002).Women who use increased methadone are said to be those suffering from poverty. It also shows that a great percentage of women who are pregnant also use methadone.

Sampling

The sampling technique that can be used in the study is stratified sampling where the people with the common characteristic being that they are from one area and they are heroine abusers. They can be reached through advertising and volunteering.

The sample does not however generalize the population because it only involves people with the characteristic of heroine abuse in the city of Phoenix. Therefore, not every person abuses heroine in Phoenix and if there are others, they may be taking other forms of drugs. This therefore makes the sample not to be representative of the whole population but of the heroine abusers population.

The inclusion criteria that would be used would be participants of both genders, with an abuse problem of heroine and from the city of Phoenix and from all the available races. This means that any other person who does not hold the said characteristics would be excluded from the sample.

The ethical issues that can be encountered when collecting information from the selected sample would be;

Respecting the people; there is need to show respect to these people through the principle of informed consent whereby the people in the selected sample are made aware of the purpose of the study being conducted, how it would help them and the guarantee that the information will not be used against them.

Justice; this can be exercised during the sample selection whereby a fair inclusion opportunity is given to all while ensuring that no exploitation takes place especially in the populations that are vulnerable.

References

Moreno, C. L., El-Bassel, N., Gilbert, L., & Wada, T. (2002). Correlates of poverty and partner abuse among women on methadone. Violence Against Women, 8(4), 455-475. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/221469429?accountid=2163 this article, talks of the relationship between women stricken with poverty with the use of methadone. Such women also face quite a lot of violence from the male counterparts.

LoVecchio, F., Pizon, A., Riley, B., Sami, A., & D'Incognito, C. (2007). Onset of symptoms after methadone overdose. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 25(1), 57-9. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajem.2006.07.006 the article talks of the symptoms of having an overdose of methadone and what can be done in such a situation.

Cohen, L. J., Gertmenian-King, E., Kunik, L., Weaver, C., London, E. D., & Galynker, I. (2005). Personality measures in former heroin users receiving methadone or in protracted abstinence from opiates. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 112(2), 149-158. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0447.2005.00546.x

Rass, O., Kleykamp, B. A., Vandrey, R. G., Bigelow, G. E., Leoutsakos, J., Stitzer, M. L., . . . Mintzer, M. Z. (2014). Cognitive performance in methadone maintenance patients: Effects of time relative to dosing and maintenance dose level. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 22(3), 248-256. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0035712

Sarkar, S., & Mattoo, S. K. (2012). Newer approaches to opioid detoxification. Industrial Psychiatry Journal, 21(2), 163–167. doi:10.4103/0972-6748.119652

Amato L, Davoli M, Minozzi S, Ferroni E, Ali R, Ferri M. Methadone at tapered doses for the management of opioid withdrawal. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2013, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD003409. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD003409.pub4.

Greenwald, M. K. (2002). Heroin craving and drug use in opioid-maintained volunteers: Effects of methadone dose variation. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 10(1), 39-46. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/614364383?accountid=34899

�APA recommends that your title be no more than 12 words in length and that it should not contain abbreviations or words that serve no purpose. Your title may take up one or two lines

�Is this your revised hypothesis? If so this is a good start, but your hypothesis, should make a prediction. You will want it to be specific enough that you can easily design a study to test it. For example, “Methadone is an effective treatment for heroin addiction if the correct dosage is administered and maintained. In correct doses will result in ineffective treatment.”

�Okay good, and how many people would you like to include in your study and why?