Due to copyright issues, an electronic copy of the thesis must be ordered from the faculty. For the faculty to have time to process the order, the order must be received by the faculty at the latest 2 days before the public defence. Orders received later than 2 days before the defence will not be processed. After the public defence, please address any inquiries regarding the thesis to the candidate.
Trial Lecture – time and place
See Trial Lecture.
Adjudication committee
- First opponent: Professor Ottar Ness, NTNU
- Second opponent: Senior Research Fellow Polly Radcliffe, King's College London, UK
- Third member and chair of the evaluation committee: Post. Doc. Torill Tverborgvik, University of Oslo
Chair of the Defence
Professor Ragnhild Hellesø, University of Oslo
Principal Supervisor
Professor Bente Weimand, University of South-Eastern Norway
Summary
The opioid antagonist extended-release naltrexone (XR-NTX) blocks the effects of opioids for four consecutive weeks, and is a novel approach in the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) in Norway. While many studies have shown XR-NTX to be a safe and feasible treatment for OUD, less is known about how patients experience this treatment.
This thesis aimed to deepen the understanding and knowledge of the treatment- and recovery process of people with OUD in XR-NTX treatment. Utilizing a mixed methods approach with both qualitative and quantitative methods, experiences with the treatment, as well as the personal recovery process among people participating in a large multicenter study of XR-NTX treatment in Norway (the NaltRec study) were explored.
Key findings include that XR-NTX treatment involves both benefits and challenges, and that blocking the effects of opioids does not solve all negative issues associated with opioid use. For example, patients may struggle with difficult emotions and non-opioid substance use. There was an overall increase in experienced personal recovery during treatment; however, patients followed different treatment trajectories. Various factors, both positive (such as social support) and negative (such as craving or emotional distress) are associated with personal recovery trajectory. The thesis highlights the importance of accompanying treatment with appropriate and individualized support. t
Overall findings suggest XR-NTX should be delivered as part of a flexible, individualized, long-term treatment approach, and point to important focus areas for patients and clinicians, e.g. motivation for treatment, psychological distress or craving. Attention should be given to personal recovery as going beyond the current treatment episode. Awareness of factors associated with different recovery trajectories may be important to facilitate the personal recovery process.
Additional information
Contact the research support staff.