l-Alpha-acetylmethadol (LAAM): prognostic considerations.

The authors studied the responses of 28 adult male volunteers who were openly changed from methadone to l-alpha-acetylmethadol (LAAM) maintenance. They found that patients who had been receiving middle-range doses (50-70 mg) of methadone required a significantly lower mean increase in LAAM than patients who had been receiving either high or low methadone doses and that the patients who accepted LAAM differed significantly from those who did not in MMPI 2-point-code ratings and mean social adjustment scale scores. These findings may provide prognostic indicators for response to LAAM, a possible alternative to methadone.