| Information about Heroin Addiction Treatment | | | | hopeful and the detox more humane. Another |
| Drug addiction is a complex but treatable brain | | | | treatment Ibogaine, while not FDA approved and |
| disease. It is characterized by compulsive drug | | | | thus not available in the United States has been |
| craving, seeking, and use that persist even in the | | | | shown in recent studies to alleviate the cravings for |
| face of severe adverse consequences. For many | | | | heroin and may be one of the more viable therapies |
| people, drug addiction becomes chronic, with relapses | | | | in the future. |
| possible even after long periods of abstinence. In | | | | Most heroin users are not receiving treatment. Most |
| fact, relapse to drug abuse occurs at rates similar to | | | | recent data indicate that there are approximately |
| those for other well-characterized, chronic medical | | | | 112,000 patients in narcotic maintenance treatment. |
| illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, and asthma. | | | | Barriers exist to both access to narcotic maintenance |
| Soon after injection (or inhalation), heroin crosses the | | | | treatment and effective treatment, despite the |
| blood-brain barrier. In the brain, heroin is converted to | | | | science on the neurobiology of heroin addiction and |
| morphine and binds rapidly to opioid receptors. | | | | the evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of |
| Abusers typically report feeling a surge of pleasurable | | | | treatment in reducing drug use and crime and |
| sensation, a "rush." The intensity of the rush is a | | | | preventing the spread of HIV and HCV. An important |
| function of how much drug is taken and how rapidly | | | | reason for some of these barriers is that narcotic |
| the drug enters the brain and binds to the natural | | | | maintenance treatment remains controversial. The |
| opioid receptors. | | | | science has not yet overcome the stigma of |
| Heroin is an illegal, highly addictive drug. It is both the | | | | addiction and public perception about narcotic |
| most abused and the most rapidly acting of the | | | | maintenance treatment. |
| opiates. Heroin is processed from morphine, a | | | | Heroin addiction treatment has involved Methadone |
| naturally occurring substance extracted from the | | | | used to treat opiate addiction for more than 30 |
| seedpod of certain varieties of poppy plants. It is | | | | years. Methadone suppresses heroin withdrawal |
| typically sold as a white or brownish powder or as | | | | symptoms for 24 to 36 hours. Although the patient |
| the black sticky substance known on the streets as | | | | remains physically dependent on the opiate, the |
| "black tar heroin." Although purer heroin is becoming | | | | craving from heroin use is reduced and the highs and |
| more common, most street heroin is "cut" with other | | | | lows are blocked. This heroin addiction treatment |
| drugs or with substances such as sugar, starch, | | | | permits the patient to be free from the uncontrolled, |
| powdered milk, or quinine. | | | | compulsive, and disruptive behavior associated with |
| Drug addiction treatments and detoxification via the | | | | heroin addiction. While many methadone maintenance |
| administration of drugs such as Naltrexone and more | | | | clinics (long term methadone use) are available, we |
| recently Buprenorphine have been shown to help the | | | | believe the most effective use of methadone in |
| heroin addict maintain abstinence and thus can | | | | heroin addiction treatment is found in utilizing the drug |
| prevent the need for future a detox. While no magic | | | | to assist in the gradual withdrawal from heroin |
| bullet, pharmacology advances have made the | | | | addiction. |
| successful treatment of heroin addiction more | | | | |