New Treatment Options Available For Heroin Addiction

Treatment for Heroin Addiction-What is heroin?

heroine addiction is oppressive, disastrous and unhealthy. Good news it is treatable.

Heroin is an illegal, highly addictive drug. It is both the most abused and the most rapidly acting of the opiates. Heroin is processed from morphine, a naturally occurring substance extracted from the seed pod of certain varieties of poppy plants. It is typically sold as a white or brownish powder or as the black sticky substance known on the streets as “black tar heroin.” Although purer heroin is becoming more common, most street heroin is “cut” with other drugs or with substances such as sugar, starch, powdered milk, or quinine.

Treatment of Heroin Addiction-Symptoms and Effects

Heroin produces a “downer” effect that rapidly induces a state of relaxation and euphoria (related to chemical changes in the pleasure centers of the brain). Like other opiates, heroin use blocks the brain’s ability to perceive pain. Heroin abusers, particularly those with prior drug abuse history may initially be able to conceal signs and symptoms of their heroin use.

Loved ones or co-workers may notice a number of signs of heroin use, which are visible during and after heroin consumption:

• Shortness of breath
• Dry mouth
• Constricted (small) pupils
• Sudden changes in behavior or actions
• Disorientation
• Cycles of hyper alertness followed by suddenly nodding off
• Droopy appearance, as if extremities are heavy

Treatment for Heroin Addiction- Buprenorphine

Buprenorphine (byoo-preuh-nor-feen) is a medicine for treating heroin addiction. Buprenorphine works a lot like methadone, but instead of getting it at a special clinic, a doctor prescribes it in the office and you can take it at home – which can make treatment easier for you.

Why Is It Important to Treat Heroin Addiction?

Heroin addiction is a disease. Heroin use can cause many problems:

• Overdose and even death.
• If you inject heroin and share needles, you can get HIV, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C, or give these diseases to someone else. Injecting can also cause infections of the skin, muscle, and heart.
• Because heroin is illegal, you may have to go through a lot of trouble or do something illegal to get it. You can end up in jail if you get caught with even a small amount.

When you use heroin for a long time, your brain and body change and become dependent on it (your body needs the heroin). If this happens, you may need dot take medicine every day for a long time to treat your addiction, just like people take other medicines to treat other health problems, like people who have diabetes and need to take insulin shots.

For many years doctors have used methadone to treat heroin addiction. But people who take methadone have to go to their methadone clinic often their medicine. This may be a help to people who need the supports services at their clinic, but for others it can be a barrier to treatment. Many communities do not have methadone clinics, or their clinics do not have room for new patients.

How Can Buprenorphine Protect You from HIV and Other Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)?

Buprenorphine blocks symptoms of withdrawal and craving and helps you to not use heroin.

If you are in withdrawal or craving heroin, you might share needles or works because taking heroin seems more important than protecing yourself or others from HIV infection.

If you are high on heroin, you may not think straight. There is a better chance that you will not use a condom to protect yourself and others from infection.

Treatment for Heroin Addiction- How Does Buprenorphine Work?

If you are ready to quit, buprenorphine can help you use less heroin, less often until you can stop using altogether.

It blocks the effects of heroin

Buprenorphine stops heroin from getting you “high” and stops withdrawal symptoms and heroin craving (the strong feeling that you need to have it).

It is safe

Buprenorphine does not get you high if you use it the right way and it does not cause strong side effects. It is hard to get sick or overdose from it.

You can take it at home

Doctors prescribe buprenorphine and you can take it at home. It comes in tablets that you put under your tongue and let them melt.

Treatment for Heroin Addiction- How Does Buprenorphine Treatment Work?

There are three steps, or “phases”:

1. Induction phase

This period usually lasts for about one week. The goal is to figure out the dose of buprenorphine that works best to relieve your withdrawal symptoms and craving.

• You take the first dose when you are in the early stage of withdrawal – about 10 to 24 hours after your last dose of heroin. First you take a test dose, followed by another dose to relieve withdrawal symptoms.
• Your doctor may ask you to stay in the office for several hours after your first dose to see how the early doses affect you.
• During the first week, you may have to see your doctor several times. The dose can be raised if you still have withdrawal symptoms.
• You may not be able to drive or use machines and power tools.

2. Stabilization phase

The goal in this phase is to use less heroin or no heroin and not feel withdrawal symptoms or craving while you keep taking buprenorphine.

• Usually lasts about 1-2 months
• You visit your doctor’s office for check-ups regularly.
• You get a prescription for and take buprenorphine at home. Your doctor may increase your dose so that you do not have to take buprenorphine every day.
• Doctors may test your urine to make sure you are not taking heroin or other drugs.

3. Maintenance phase

• You visit the doctor’s office to get a refill of your buprenorphine about once a month.

What Are the Side Effects of Buprenorphine?

• The most common side effects are constipation and nausea. Usually these are not strong.
• If you feel light-headed at first, you may not be able to drive or use heavy equipment until you get used to the medicine.
• You cannot take buprenorphine at the same time as some pain medicines, like morphine and codeine, because buprenorphine will block their effects. Use medicines like Tylenol^® or ibuprofen instead. If you need surgery or have a long-term pain problem, you will need to stop buprenorphine for a while.
• Do not take buprenorphine with sedatives to help you sleep or tranquilizers (like anti-anxiety medicine such as Xanax^® or Valium) unless prescribed by your doctor. High doses of these drugs mixed with buprenorphine may cause an overdose.
• If you have hepatitis or other active liver problems, your doctor may check your liver tests from time to time.

Treatment for Heroin Addiction-Natural way

There are a few highly effective homeopathic ingredients that can be used on a heroin addict to get rid of the addiction in a natural way.

Plantago Major is the first ingredient that has been used for a very long time for treating various ailments, conditions, even as salad dressing, and also for treating heroin addiction; it is a dark green looking weed and it enhances the growth of cells in human body and releases a chemical compound in the body that makes the person stay away from tobacco and heroin. Not only is it effective in overcoming heroin addiction but smoking as well.

Tabacum is a diluted replacement that will work in place of heroin. This is the best way of gradually leaving heroin addiction and taking a step down. If you cannot just leave heroin right away; this treatment will make you gradually leave it.

Abies Nigra also known as Black Spruce; it is a natural relaxant. It’s not easy to coupe with withdrawal symptoms. In order to make these symptoms less pleasant, the patient can make use of Black Spruce. The nerves will calm down and the patient will no longer feel the thirst for heroin.

Natural methods for overcoming heroin addiction are very effective but they should always be combined by other medicinal treatments as well in order to make sure that they results are surely positive.

New Treatment Options Available For Heroin Addiction