Heroin Treatment

There are numerous methods of heroin treatment. The most widely known is methadone maintenance treatment yet less than one in five heroin addicts use methadone to treat their heroin addiction. Methadone is a synthetic narcotic that has been used in the treatment of heroin addiction for the past 30 years. The way that methadone works in the treatment of heroin addiction is by occupying the opioid receptor in the brain. This in turn stabilizes the release of excess dopamine which allows the heroin addict to get off heroin and leave their using habits behind.

When taken by mouth once daily, methadone is able to suppress heroin withdrawal anywhere from 24 to 36 hours. It is used to reduce drug cravings, block the high from heroin use, and help suppress withdrawal symptoms. In turn, patients do not get high off of methadone and no longer experience the ups and downs associated with heroin use. Withdrawal from methadone is much slower than heroin withdrawal and tends to be more painful. This fact is why many are now rethinking as to whether to choose methadone maintenance therapy. In the end, individuals who decide to use methadone treatment find that they are sill addicted to a drug but no longer live the drug addict lifestyle of scoring drugs and shooting up.

Another treatment for heroin addiction is a mediation known as Burprenorphine. This form of heroin treatment shown in clinical trials to be an effective treatment for heroin addiction when it is taken three time per week. Burprenorphine is a derivative of thebaine and is opiate an opiate. It is known to produce the same euphoric effects that opiates do, but in low doses is an effective treatment in aiding those experiencing heroin withdrawal symptoms. Overtime Burprenorphine's effects reach a plateau in which case increased doses no longer produce increased effects. This is what is known as the so-called "ceiling effect". On reason many use Burprenorphine as their choice in heroin treatment is because it causes a milder withdrawal than methadone.

LAAM, similar to methadone is a synthetic opiate used in the treatment of heroin addiction. LAAM works by blocking the effects of heroin for a time period up to 72 hours. Approved in 1993 by the Food and Drug Administration, LAAM is administered only three times per week. This in turn ends the need for daily doses and take-home doses which are one of the draw back of methadone maintenance therapy. Additionally, another form of heroin treatment are Naltrexone and Naltrexone. These medications also block the effects of heroin and other opiates. Naltrexone's effects last from one to three days depending on the dosage. Blocking the euphoric effects of heroin, Naltrexone has shown to be successful in preventing relapse.

Detoxification is key in relieving heroin withdrawal symptoms. While detoxification is not in itself a treatment for heroin addiction, it is a necessary step in recovery. When combined with long-term drug-free treatment, detoxification helps in adjusting the individual to a drug-free state. Overall, the highest success rate for heroin treatment is detoxification in combination with long-term inpatient treatment for a duration of at least 3 to 6 months.