Call 888-647-0579 to speak with an alcohol or drug abuse counselor.

Who Answers?

New hope for heroin users: Naltrexone implants.

A study at the University of Western Australia has found that heroin addicts with naltrexone implants are far less likely to return to heroin use than those taking oral tablets.

But critics are sceptical about the study and say that naltrexone is still a risky option for drug users trying to kick the habit.

Naltrexone is a drug which blocks the effects of heroin on the brain. It is usually taken as a tablet, but if heroin users stop taking the pill they often fall back into drug use.

That is why scientists have been working on an implant which automatically releases naltrexone into the body.

Gary Hulse from the University Of Western Australia is confident about the naltrexone’s success.

“It means that you’ve got a a one-stop shop. People can come in, they receive their treatment or implant and for five months or six months, they carry that treatment with them,” he said.

The six-month trial involved 69 heroin users. Fifty-four completed the trial. Of the 28 participants who received a naltrexone tablet, 15 returned to regular heroin use. Of the 26 people who received a naltrexone implant, just two returned to heroin use.

Researchers like Mr Hulse say it is a good result for naltrexone implants.

“This is a relatively safe and a treatment which has good clinical outcomes,” he said.

The study is yet to be published in a peer-reviewed medical journal, but the team at the University of Western Australia are confident the research will be well received.

“I’m not only confident that it’ll be published in a peer review but I would be surprised if this wasn’t accepted by one of the extremely high rating journals,” said Mr Hulse.

But critics like Dr Alex Wodak, from the Alcohol And Drug Services at Vincents Hospital in Sydney, have little time for the new study.

“The paper hasn’t been published yet in a scientific journal and so therefore, it’s the equivalent of hearsay in a court of law. That is, it’s not really evidence,” he said.

Naltrexone is a controversial drug. The implants are yet to be approved by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and there have been mixed results for heroin users.

Some patients have stopped using heroin after receiving an implant. But others have cut them out of their body or suffered serious side effects.

“The implants, I know for a fact, were at one stage required by the therapeutic goods administration to be stamped, not for use in human subjects, and the authors have conceded that to me in writing,” said Dr Wodak.

But researchers such as Moira Sim from the Naltrexone Trial Independent Monitoring Committee say the implants used in the Perth trial were approved by the TGA.

“The committee reviewed all the processes that the trial went through and we are confident that they followed the correct processes that the data was collected properly, and therefore I’m very confident in the results of the trial,” she said.

The researchers say the next step will be to conduct a trial comparing naltrexone implants with methadone and other drugs used to control heroin addiction.
________
source: ABC News, http://www.abc.net.au

More Treatment & Detox Articles

Drink with mother

You expect your parents to teach you things. But alcoholism? Frances White recalls how her mum encouraged her to binge when she was just a child – and eventually passed on her own addiction I was nine when my mum poured me my first drink. “Here,” she said, handing me a glass of Cinzano and….

The Importance of Exercise During Drug Treatment

You may not think that exercise is very important when you are in drug treatment. Maybe you think you have bigger and better battles to fight or you can’t see how exercise would really help right now, but it does! Exercise during drug treatment is a vital part of the rehabilitation process that not only….

Treatment for bulimia eating disorder

Most often, sufferers of bulimia do not seek medical help for improving their disorder, as they are ashamed or ignorant of their condition. Therefore, many times it is the parents, friends and the relatives of the sufferers, who need to be alert and on suspecting any symptoms of bulimia seek medical advice. The treatment for….

Signs it’s Time to Get Treatment for Marijuana Addiction

Some believe that smoking pot is not bad, many think that marijuana is not addictive and that there’s no need for treatment if an individual simply smokes some weed once in a while but this is all untrue. Marijuana is addicting and it does cause problems for thousands of smokers throughout the country. Here’s a….

Teen drinking Youth alcohol abuse still a major concern

David is a fairly typical teenager in a fairly typical local high school. He can’t wait to get his driver’s license, he eats like a horse and he’s an accomplished athlete. But, unbeknownst to his parents and siblings, David and his friends were having drinking parties — not all the time but, in his words,….