Heroin, a byproduct of the opium poppy plant sold and bought illicitly in the United States, remains the most physically addictive drug, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reports. Methods of ingestion include sniffing, intravenous injection or smoking in a pipe. When heroin is injected intravenously, there is a greater risk for overdose as the strength of the heroin may prove precariously inaccurate.
Methadone
Methadone, a synthetically formed opiate medication, binds to heroin's receptor sites and reduces desire for its continued use. Taken orally, this medication prevents the symptoms of the withdrawal of heroin. The drug does not interfere with the person's ability to carry on with activities of daily living. Methadone clinics serve the addict daily with the administration of this medicine. Group and individual counseling coincide with daily clinic visits. Social and psychiatric needs are evaluated during individual counseling sessions on a regular basis.
Buprenorphine
This medication may present a more effective way for heroin detoxification than methadone because fewer side effects occur and less chance of overdose exists. The recovering heroin addict takes this medication via prescription for 30 days while undergoing therapy to review the therapeutic effects. Not all patients respond to therapeutic levels of buprenorphine.
Naltrexone
This medication treats heroin addiction by binding to the receptor sites of heroin causing a decrease in the desire to use the illicit drug. Physicians typically prescribe naltrexone when the addict has abstained from heroin for seven days, and then only in combination with medical detoxification.
Naloxone
Naloxone treats opiate overdose and remains the shorter-acting receptor blocker to heroin and opiates in general, states the National Institute on Drug Abuse. This medication, though not used long-term, therapeutically revives the person. Treatment can continue with therapy and other medications to help rid the person of the addiction.
Combination Medication
This combination medication of buprenorphine and naloxone treats heroin and opiate addiction therapeutically with fewer side effects then methadone, MayoClinic.com indicates. This medication prevents severe side effects associated with acute cessation of narcotics.
