Comparison of the combined effect of methadone with sertraline or venlafaxine on mental health indicators of drug abuse patients

 Psychological problems caused by addiction or opioid withdrawal symptoms can increase the risk of re-abuse in patients receiving MMT. This study aimed to Comparison of the combined effect of methadone with sertraline or venlafaxine on mental health indicators of drug abuse patients.

 This study is a clinical trial with a pre-test and post-test design. At first, 40 patients treated with methadone were selected by voluntary sampling and randomly divided into two groups. The first group received venlafaxine and the second group received sertraline during the intervention. Patients were evaluated based on the Anxiety-Stress-Depression Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using paired t-test and analysis of covariance at the significance level of 0.05.

 Findings showed that sertraline and venlafaxine effectively affect mental health dimensions, including depression, anxiety, and stress, in patients undergoing MMT (P<0.001(. No significant difference was observed between the effect of sertraline and venlafaxine on depression, anxiety, and stress in these patients ((P<0.05).

 Venlafaxine and sertraline can be used to improve the mental health dimensions of patients undergoing MMT, and due to their similar efficacy, drug selection can be based on the psychiatrist's decision and the extent of drug side effects.