Needle Acupuncture for Substance Use Disorders: A Systematic Review
Abstract
This systematic review synthesized evidence from trials of needle acupuncture to provide estimates of the effectiveness of needle acupuncture for substance use disorders PROSPERO record CRD42015016040). In November 2014, we searched PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, AMED, CENTRAL MANTIS, and Embase, as well as bibliographies of existing systematic reviews and included studies, to identify English-language reports of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) testing the efficacy and safety of needle acupuncture--used adjunctively or as monotherapy--to treat adults diagnosed with alcohol, opioid, stimulant, and/or cannabis use disorder. Two independent reviewers screened identified literature using predetermined eligibility criteria, abstracted studylevel information, and assessed the methodological quality of included studies. Outcomes of interest included relapse, quantity and frequency of substance use, withdrawal symptoms treatment dropout, functional status and quality of life, and adverse events. When possible, metaanalyses and meta-regressions were conducted using the Hartung-Knapp-Sidik-Jonkman method for random-effects models. Quality of evidence was assessed using the GRADE approach. Forty-one studies (reported in 48 publications) with 5,227 participants were included. When the data were pooled across studies, no significant effects of acupuncture (as adjunctive or monotherapy versus any comparator) versus any comparator were observed at postintervention for relapse (SMD -0.12; 95% CI -0.46 to 0.22; 10 RCTs), frequency of substance use (SMD -0.27; CI -2.67 to 2.13; 2 RCTs), quantity of substance use (SMD 0.01; CI -0.40 to 0.43; 3 RCTs), or treatment dropout (OR 0.82; CI 0.63 to 1.09; 22 RCTs).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2015
- Accession Number
- ADA624031
Entities
People
- Aneesa Motala
- Jeremy N. Miles
- Marika Booth
- Melony E. Sorbero
- Roberta M. Shanman
- Ryan Kandrack
- Sean Grant
- Susanne Hempel
- Whitney Dudley
Organizations
- RAND Corporation