Opiates are a class of drugs derived from opium. They include morphine, heroin and some prescription painkillers such as Oxycontin and Vicodin. Opioids act by binding to opiate receptors in the brain--which also interacts with endorphin, an important chemical in regulating pain and emotion--and blocking the transmission of pain messages to the brain. Opiate withdrawal symptoms, due to the cessation or significant reduction in the intake of opiate drugs, frequently includes sweating, vomiting, nausea and seizures.
Methadone
Heroin and other opiates release an excess amount of dopamine in the body. The user consequently feels the need to have an opiate continuously occupying these opioid receptors in the brain, hence its mechanism of addiction. Methadone is a synthetic narcotic used for the treatment of the withdrawal symptoms in individuals addicted to heroin and other opiates. According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, methadone eliminates narcotic withdrawal by occupying these opioid receptors, effectively reducing the craving associated with heroin. The Office of National Drug Control Policy also notes that methadone does not provide the euphoric high associated with heroin and other opiates, thus addicts do not experience the extreme highs and lows associated with fluctuating levels of heroin in the blood. Methadone is administered orally once a day, and it suppresses opiate withdrawal symptoms for 24 to 36 hours.
Levomethadyl Acetate Hydrochloride
Levomethadyl acetate hydrochloride, or LAAM, is a drug alternative to methadone and is used by individuals detoxing from opiates. Similar to methadone, LAAM attaches to opioid receptors in the brain--the same receptors that heroin and methadone target--and stimulates these receptors, blocking access to these receptors by other opiates and suppressing opiate detoxification symptoms such as nausea and vomiting. According to ScienceDaily, a research study was conducted wherein 180 heroin addicts were treated with low, medium or high doses of LAAM for a period of 17 days. At the end of that time period, 80 percent of all volunteers in the high dosage group significantly reduced their usage of heroin, heroin use dropped in all groups and more than 80 percent of volunteers continued with the trial.
Buprenorphine
Buprenorphine is the newest drug used in the detoxification process from opiates. Similar to methadone and LAAM, buprenorphine binds to the same opiate receptors in the brain that heroin and morphine bind to, effectively relieving the drug craving with its stimulation without producing the same euphoric high or dangerous side effects associated with heroin and other opiates, notes the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
