Impact of treatment duration on mortality among Veterans with opioid use disorder in the United States Veterans Health Administration.

Short periods (< 6 months) of treatment with either methadone or buprenorphine are likely to yield net mortality benefits for people with opioid use disorder relative to receiving no medications, despite periods of elevated all-cause mortality risk during transitions into and out of treatment. Retaining people with opioid use disorder in treatment longer can increase these benefits.