Drug Addiction Treatment

About one million Americans are dependent on heroin, prescription painkillers and other opioids, and the vast majority does not receive treatment.

Combined with psychological counseling, opiate substitutes that prevent withdrawal are among the most effective treatments for these addictions.

Until now, only two drugs--methadone and levo-alpha-acetyl methadol (LAAM ) were available, and only licensed treatment clinics were authorized to dispense them.

Many addicts normally avoid opiate treatment programs (OTPs) because of the inconvenience, perceived stigma and because of limited treatment slots.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved buprenorphine, a new drug that could reshape opiate addiction treatment in the United States.

This treatment could make pharmacotherapy available and attractive to patients who previously shunned it.

Another pharmacological factor that makes buprenorphine well suited to addiction treatment is its high affinity for the mu-opioid receptor.

That means that opiate-dependent individuals who take buprenorphine won't get any additional kick from using other opiates, such as heroin.

Buprenorphine's stickiness has another advantage, because it clings to the receptor long after it has been administered, it can make the detoxification process easier.

Addiction Treatment provides detailed information on Addiction Treatment, Drug Addiction Treatment, Alcoholism Addiction Treatment, Addiction Treatment Programs and more.

Addiction Treatment is affiliated with Drug Addiction.

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