Behavioral Treatments
Doctors have found that when treating heroin addicts it is often best to use medication along with support services. This is because the attachment to heroin is so strong it causes many relapses. The medication-and-support approach helps with the intense withdrawal symptoms as well as stopping the use of heroin and returning former addicts to stable and productive lives, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Medications that doctors might begin with include clonidine and buprenorphine to minimize the initial physical symptoms of withdrawal.
But for drug addictions as serious as heroin use, the process does not end with detoxification. It moves on to the next step of preventing a relapse, an unfortunate recurrence for many heroin addicts. Behavioral treatments to go along with medication programs are often done in outpatient services. Patients go through counseling and learn techniques to cope with stress and understand new ways to resume healthy living following their period on drugs. Successful treatment depends on the severity of the addiction, various physical or psychological disorders, the patient's motivation to quit and social support.
Methadone & Buprenorpine
Methadone, a synthetic opiate, has long been used to reduce the effects and desires of other opiates. It is taken orally. The drug is usually administered in a specialized treatment program. Buprenorpine is a more recent drug for treatment. It produces fewer risks for overdose and severe withdrawals. It also has a lower level of dependence, so when patients stop taking it, they usually have fewer withdrawal symptoms than people taking methadone. Because buprenorphine is not as powerful as methadone, it is more readily available from physicians. The drug does not work the same on everyone. Some addicts still need treatment with methadone. The drug naltrexone is usually used for people who are in outpatient programs. Patients are usually detoxified from heroin and free from the opiate for several days before taking naltrexone.
Anesthesia
Experimental programs include rapid heroin detoxification treatment in which patients are put under anesthesia and injected with large does of opiate-blocking drugs. The idea is that the treatment will speed up the return of a normal functioning system, avoiding the distractions and temptations an addict might undergo during regular withdrawals while awake. This treatment is still being studied but has been shown to reduce the intensity of symptoms. But it also increases the risk of death because heroin withdrawal causes vomiting while under anesthesia, according to TheHealthPages.com. The treatment remains controversial and avoided by many specialists.
