Medications Used to Help Heroin Detox

January 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Heroin is a very addicting drug. Many people become addict to it every year. The problem with this very heavy opiate is that once it has been used it causes the body and the brain to interpret it as a normal part of the body. This interpretation causes the body to rely upon the drug as if it were a regular body function. This makes detoxing from heroin very difficult because the body goes through intense withdrawals that can cause the addict to want to use the opiate again. Luckily, there are many medications that can be used while a person is detoxing from heroin to make the process easier.

 

Here is a look at the three medications that are used during heroin detox.

 

Methadone. Methadone is the most commonly used medication for heroin detox. It has been used for a number of years and been proven highly successful. When methadone is used as prescribed it will reduce the withdrawal symptoms of heroin without causing a dependence on the drug. Methadone is not a sedative and does not cause the person to become tired. However, the withdrawal process will make the person tired and this is commonly mistaken as an effect of the methadone. Methadone also reduces the addict’s craving for heroin which allows them to detox from the drug. Methadone only needs to be taken once every 24 to 48 hours and addicts are weaned off the methadone after a week on it.

 

Levo-Alpha-Acetyl-Methadol. This is a version of a fake opiate that is administered to heroin addicts who are detoxing. It reduces the cravings for heroin and only needs to be administered once every four days. It is believed to be less addictive than methadone.

 

Buprenorphine. This is common to the above mentioned drug and is still too new to be proven successful. This is less powerful than the previous two and believed to cure addictions without causing a new addiction.

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Alcohol is the Most Harmful Drug to Society

December 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment
A pile of crack cocaine ‘rocks’.
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A recent report released by a former UK drug adviser claims that alcohol is the most harmful drug to society. Currently, heroin and crack cocaine are listed as the worst drugs, but David Nutt is urging British officials to take a second look at how harmful substances are classified.

Nutt does not disagree that heroin and crack cocaine are the most harmful drug to the individual user, but he does say his findings indicate that alcohol is the most dangerous to society as a whole. His report is meant to address drugs and how they are classified by how their effects damage society as a whole. In other words, people who are intoxicated on alcohol are the most likely to cause harm to others.

Nutt was released from his government duties when he challenged officials on their current classifications. He believes politics overruled science where drugs are concerned. Other European nations have already taken a position similar to Nutt’s on the damaging societal effects of alcohol. Furthermore, contemporary drug research suggests that some drugs need to be upgraded for their potential harm and some need to be downgraded.

Heroin and crack cocaine should certainly be listed in the top tier, but Nutt and others say alcohol and even tobacco should be there, too. Some drugs, such as ecstacy should be downgraded, he believes. Part of the reason for revisiting the way drugs are classified is to revise how the offenders are criminalized.

Alcohol abuse can lead to crimes and injury against innocents while the user is under the influence, yet alcohol abusers are not regularly jailed for being drunk, but encouraged to seek treatment. That’s not necessarily the case for heroin and cocaine users. Ultimately, Nutt is urging the government to put treatment first for drug users, the same as it does for alcoholics.

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Heroin Comes Out of Retirement to Wreak Havoc

December 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Heroin would seem to be a highly abused drug from the past, but it seems that heroin has come out of retirement to wreak havoc on society once again. Cocaine and crystal meth have been the big offenders in recent years, but arrest records are showing a rise in heroin use.

Heroin is an old drug. It was formulated from the opium poppy in 1874. It’s harmful effects have been known for a very long time. However it seems to have come back into vogue. It creates a longer lasting rush than what a user can get from cocaine. It is highly addictive, and brings multiple health problems to the user.

Much of the substance is coming into the U.S. through Mexico. There is a cheap, easily attainable version of heroin called Mexican tar. It is usually cut with cheap and dangerous substances. Therefore it is not pure. Either way, it’s harmful effects are the same for the user. The attractive thing about Mexican tar is that is it cheap and very easy to get.

As if people don’t need to be reminded, the harm that comes from a drug like heroin is life destroying. It effects brain function, liver and kidney disease, creates respiratory problems, scarred and collapsed veins from injection, and infections at the needle site. The withdrawal symptoms are harsh and can be painful to the user.

Many users choose to share needles. This leads to blood borne infections such as HIV and hepatitis. These deadly diseases can be unwittingly passed onto sexual partners and even the user’s children.

Although treatment is available, it is often second to arrest for the heroin user. Therefore arrest records are up for the drug, too. Due to it’s powerful addictive ability, heroin is an extremely difficult drug to kick. Therefore, constant education to prevent its use is necessary.

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Suboxone Treats Heroin Addiction

December 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Heroin powder
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When all substance abuse programs fail, it might be worth it for the heroin addict to ask a doctor about Suboxone. This is a medication designed to treat opiate addiction. Where it has its own set of risks, it can ultimately be a life saver for an addict.

Suboxone is a combination of buprenorphine, which is an opioid medication, and naloxone, which blocks the effects of opioids. Therefore, the way Suboxone is administered is very important. It cannot be injected. If it is taken this way the naloxone will block the buprenorphine and cause withdrawal symptoms. If the drug is taken under the tongue, it will treat opiate addiction by stifling the desire to use.

Users of Suboxone can become dependent on the drug if they stop using it too quickly. In essence, they’ll go through withdrawal. Therefore, it is not something that can be taken occasionally or as needed. A doctor needs to be involved in this kind of drug therapy, and he or she will instruct on how to use it and how to be weened off of it.

Like many opioid medications, Suboxone can cause drowsiness and impaired thinking. So it is important to take caution when driving or operating heavy equipment. Combining it with alcohol, pain relievers, muscle relaxers, sleep aids or antihistamines can also increase the effects of Suboxone.

There is no solid evidence on how this drug will effect an unborn child. However, users are cautioned that the baby may suffer withdrawals symptoms.

The unfortunate part of heroin addiction is that the only drug proven to treat it has some of the same unwanted side effects. However, the control it gives an addict back over his life may be worth it. Like any medication, it simply becomes something that the patient learns to live with so that he can live at all.

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How Does Methadone Work

August 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Main short-term effects of heroin (See Wikiped...
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We often hear about methadone clinics for heroin addicts but many people have no idea what methadone is and how it works. While methadone is a drug similar to heroin, the main feature and helpful aspect of it is that it lasts longer than heroin and takes longer to work. This alleviates the rush that some get from heroin and can help with maintaining abstinence since the high is still there but the sought after rush is not.  Simply put, methadone helps with a gradual transition away from heroin, which helps users stay clean more often than trying to stop heroin cold turkey.
While methadone is still a drug and is still unsafe, it is a better alternative than actual heroin use. The key to using methadone is the gradual transition away from all opiates. It acts as a gateway to abstinence and can also help an addict stay safer because the clinics make sure the users get clean needles and clean drugs. On the streets, a heroin addict risks getting a needle that may have been used by a person that is HIV positive or getting too much of the drug and overdosing. There can also be the chance of gaining an infection or damage to the circulatory system when using street drugs. Lastly, the purity is always in question, whereas methadone is administered by a health care official.
Methadone can help but the user has to be on a closely monitored program to ensure success and safety. Methadone cannot be combined with other drugs or alcohol because this can cause a fatal reaction. It is important that the person using it follows the physician’s strict orders. Although this can be hard for some users, it is still more helpful than a user sticking with heroin and not trying the gateway drug.
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Heroine

August 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum) found at Chat...
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In the News
Heroine has been mentioned in the news with frequency lately because of the war in Afghanistan. Over 90% of the world’s heroine comes from Afghanistan as the drug is a semi-synthetic opioid derived from morphine, which comes from the opium poppy. Sometimes it is grown in secret utilizing grow lights and other equipment. Diamorphine (heroine) is used as a controlled painkiller and also a recreational drug. Inline with other opioids, addiction is common and several European countries have programs to legally satisfy the habits of long-term users.
Legal & Recreational
In some developed countries heroine is prescribed to treat acute pain or pain associated with a terminal illness despite morphine being a more common option. For recreational use, heroine is used to induce an intense euphoria. Normally heroine is injected and a user experiences an intense rush similar in nature to the feeling a patient feels when being treated with morphine, but much stronger.  Heroine may be a stronger opioid because of 6-monoacetylmorphoine, other opioids do not have this particular metabolite which is psycho-active. Recreational users also snort or smoke heroine with rolled tobacco and or a glass pipe. Snorting heroine by itself or with cocaine can be particularly dangerous as an overdose can be ingested by an unknowing user. When heroine is smoked the heated powder becomes liquid which yields smoke to be inhaled.
Administration
As with all drugs, when heroine is taken intravenously it yields the quickest and strongest rush. The drug can also be delivered with an intra-muscular injection where the high creeps on in 5 to 8 minutes. When smoked and snorted the drug ramps up a bit slower and peak effects occur within 10 to 15 minutes. Recreational users do not take the drug orally, but it can be administered that way and take 30 minutes to gather strength, but there is no rush. Heroine when administered in large doses is fatal.  It is responsible for many suicides and has even been used as a weapon by serial killers.

In the News
Heroine has been mentioned in the news with frequency lately because of the war in Afghanistan. Over 90% of the world’s heroine comes from Afghanistan as the drug is a semi-synthetic opioid derived from morphine, which comes from the opium poppy. Diamorphine (heroine) is used as a controlled painkiller and also a recreational drug. Inline with other opioids, addiction is common and several European countries have programs to legally satisfy the habits of long-term users.
Legal & Recreational
In some developed countries heroine is prescribed to treat acute pain or pain associated with a terminal illness despite morphine being a more common option. For recreational use, heroine is used to induce an intense euphoria. Normally heroine is injected and a user experiences an intense rush similar in nature to the feeling a patient feels when being treated with morphine, but much stronger.  Heroine may be a stronger opioid because of 6-monoacetylmorphoine, other opioids do not have this particular metabolite which is psycho-active. Recreational users also snort or smoke heroine with rolled tobacco and or a glass pipe. Snorting heroine by itself or with cocaine can be particularly dangerous as an overdose can be ingested by an unknowing user. When heroine is smoked the heated powder becomes liquid which yields smoke to be inhaled.
Administration
As with all drugs, when heroine is taken intravenously it yields the quickest and strongest rush. The drug can also be delivered with an intra-muscular injection where the high creeps on in 5 to 8 minutes. When smoked and snorted the drug ramps up a bit slower and peak effects occur within 10 to 15 minutes. Recreational users do not take the drug orally, but it can be administered that way and take 30 minutes to gather strength, but there is no rush. Heroine when administered in large doses is fatal.  It is responsible for many suicides and has even been used as a weapon by serial killers.

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