Home
This Site What's New
Contact Us
Your Story
Free Ezine
About Drugs The Facts
Statistics
The Causes
Prevention
Treatment
Literature
Links
The Effects Signs of Abuse
Teenagers
Women
Pregnancy
Effects of Addiction

Subscribe To This Site
XML RSS
Add to Google
Add to My Yahoo!
Add to My MSN
Subscribe with Bloglines
 

New Drug Addiction Treatment

A new drug addiction treatment brings hope for those suffering from a heroin or prescription drug addiction. Traditionally, addictions to narcotic painkillers and heroin are the toughest to shake because of the effect opiates have on the brain.

Opiates' Brutal Withdrawal

The withdrawal symptoms from opiates, such as morphine, heroine and pain relievers like Vicodin and Percodin are usually so severe that the addict who is in withdrawal feels like he or she is dying. Plus, the cravings for these drugs remain intense for a long time.

Traditionally the only treatment that could help was a costly stay at a Methadone maintenance program, but a new medication called Buprenorphine is capable of decreasing the cravings and suppressing the withdrawal symptoms of an opiate drug addiction without giving you a high.

The Problem with Methadone

Both Buprenorphine and Methadone are opioid painkillers, but methadone is a much stronger narcotic and feels like a drug to many people. Plus, those who use Methadone to get off heroin and painkillers often become addicted to the Methadone instead.

But more importantly, Methadone is only available from a Methadone maintenance clinic. In order to get a regular dose of Methadone, you must visit the clinic daily for your dose.

Buprenorphine, on the other hand, is available in a prescription form and can be filled at your local pharmacy.

Far Easier to Get Help

Addicts who fear the stigma of going to a Methadone maintenance clinic will now be more likely to seek help because they can go to a physician instead; no one else need know about their addiction.

Any physician who has had eight hours of training and has received government clearance can prescribe Buprenorphine. Since 2003 the medicine has been prescribed for more than 200,000 Americans. There are now certified physicians in every state. (To find a certified physician in your area, click here).

Far Safer Medication

You can't get high on Buprenorphine, which means it can't be abused. Also, you are less likely to overdose on the medication, although it is still possible if you combine it with tranquilizers, sedatives or alcohol.

When this New Drug Addiction Treatment Won't Work

This new drug addiction treatment is less likely to be effective if you have had a long-time addiction to an opiate drug. If that is the case, you will probably need to go to a methadone maintenance clinic for treatment.

Learn More

To learn more about Buprenorphine, click here.


Return from New Drug Addiction Treatment to the Home Page

 

Free Ezine

We'll let you know about the latest happenings in treatments for drug addiction, effects of different drugs and where you can go to get help. In the future we'll also have real life drug addiction stories and how others are getting off drugs. This ezine is your source for what's going on with surviving drug addiction.

Learn More.