Key clinical point: In patients with schizophrenia and a lifetime comorbid substance use disorder, methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is associated with a nearly two times lower long-term survival rate compared with no lifetime MMT.

Major finding: MMT was predictive of lower long-term survival in time-independent (adjusted hazards ratio [aHR], 1.88; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06-3.37) and time-dependent (aHR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.21-3.60) adjusted models. MMT daily doses of <120 mg (aHR, 1.83; 95% CI, 0.95-3.54) and ≥120 mg (aHR, 2.70; 95% CI, 0.97-7.54) were associated with lower long-term survival compared with no lifetime MMT (P less than .046).

Study details: The data come from a study of 277 patients with schizophrenia and a lifetime comorbid substance use disorder (36 received MMT and 241 did not receive MMT).

Disclosures: No study sponsor was identified. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.