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

Who Answers?

Getting your fix at the doctor’s office

A group of Canadian researchers has demonstrated the truth of a practice commonly used in European countries like The Netherlands and Switzerland: Heroin can be an effective treatment for chronic, relapsing heroin addicts. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the study is “the first rigorous test of the approach performed in North America,” according to a New York Times article by Benedict Carey.

In the study, 226 patients were randomly assigned to oral methadone therapy or injectable diacetylmorphine, the primary active ingredient in heroin, over a 12-month period. The “rate of retention in addiction treatment” was 88 percent for the diacetylmorphine group, compared to 54 percent for the methadone group. The “reduction in rates of illicit-drug use” was 67 percent for the heroin group and 48 percent for the methadone group.

Using doctor-prescribed heroin has two advantages, some researchers believe. It gets around the problem of addicts who don’t like the effect of methadone and therefore don’t take it as prescribed. Moreover, as European countries have demonstrated, it brings treatment-resistant opiate addicts into regular contact with physicians and medical treatment professionals, thereby keeping them away from drug dealers and out of jail.

Heroin addiction treatment can help overcome your addiction to oral methadone.

The downside is equally obvious. It keeps addicts hooked on heroin, and may even exacerbate their addiction by providing a higher quality drug. Furthermore, it runs against the prevailing North American notion that heroin should be illegal, period. Certainly, doctors have no business prescribing it to active addicts, critics argue. Furthermore, the risk of overdose or seizure is always present.

According to senior author Martin Schechter of the University of British Columbia’s School of Population and Public Health, as quoted in the New York Times: “The main finding is that for this group that is generally written off, both methadone and prescription heroin can provide real benefits.”

In an editorial accompanying the journal article, Virginia Berridge of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine cautioned that “the rise and fall of methods of treatment in this controversial area owe their rationale to evidence, but they also often owe more to the politics of the situation.”

At the end of the 19th Century in America, opium was widely prescribed as a cure for alcoholism. For opium addiction, the treatment was often alcohol.

source: Addiction InBox

More Treatment & Detox Articles

How Heroin Treatment Centers Help You Recover

Anyone who’s battled a heroin addiction well knows how hard this drug can be on the body. While the “highs” from heroin may feel great, the lows can be equally painful. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, in 2011, as many as 4.2 million Americans reported having used heroin on at least one….

Load your plate with plant foods to help fight cancer

Up to a third of all cancers could be prevented by adopting a healthy lifestyle. At the start of Cancer Prevention Week, Lisa Cooney, head of education at the World Cancer Research Fund, examines how what we eat and drink affects our cancer risk IT HAS become increasingly clear over the past few years that….

5 Benefits of Dual Diagnosis Treatment Centers

Primarily, the goal of a dual diagnosis treatment center is to effectively treat co-existing physical or mental health conditions of an addict along with their substance abuse. By treating all conditions in continuum and integrating the treatment services, many benefits can be received in dual diagnosis treatment centers that may be limited by other providers…..

Change Behaviors & Avoid Addiction

Certain behaviors put you at a greater risk of becoming addicted to drugs or alcohol and while you cannot change your past, you cannot change your genes and you cannot change your family, you can change your behaviors. By recognizing your behaviors and those that are placing you at an increased risk of addiction, you….

Choosing the Best Treatment Centers for Substance Abuse

Many factors should be considered before choosing a center for substance abuse treatment. Cost isn’t the only important factor, location and level of care also matter. The best treatment centers for substance abuse will vary from one patient to the next based on individual needs. When you decide to seek help, for yourself or a….