Addiction of any kind is bad, not only for the addict but for relatives and loved ones. Among the various types of substance abuse, the most common one in the USA is heroin addiction. The drug causes extreme physical dependence and leads to symptoms such as withdrawal. Today there are a variety of effective treatments for heroin addiction.
Here is a brief overview of a few things you should know about heroin addiction treatment:
Treatment for heroin addiction tends to be the most effective when the abuse is identified early as it is quite easy to curtail the dependence during the early stages. The treatments to be followed next vary for every individual depending upon the stage, level of addiction and several biological factors. One of the most commonly used substances for this treatment is suboxone which is a synthetic opiate that works well both on blocking the effects of heroin and eliminating withdrawal symptoms. Other pharmaceutical approaches, such as buprenorphine, and many behavioral therapies also are used for treating heroin addiction.
- Buprenorphine programs
Buprenorphine + naloxone is used to safely treat opioid addiction. Buprenorphine + naloxone relieves the cravings associated with heroin addiction, which is a major reason for relapse in most of the addicts. Combined with behavioral therapies, counseling and other supportive services, suboxone enables patients to stop using heroin and return to a more stable and productive life.
Check out a list of suboxone buprenorphine side effects.
- Behavioral therapies
In combination with the various medications behavioral therapies have shown proven results in most of the cases. For heroin addiction treatment, residential and outpatient approaches are commonly employed and each approach is tailored to meet the patient’s specific requirement. Doctors nowadays also make use of contingency management therapy that uses a voucher based system. The patient earns points on negative drug tests that can be later exchanged for items that encourage healthy living. Apart from these, cognitive-behavioral interventions are designed to help modify the patient’s expectations and behaviors related to drug use, and to increase skills in coping with various life stressors.
- Detoxification
Detoxification is the most basic and effective treatment used to achieve withdrawal from opiates. Detox programs minimize the severity of withdrawal symptoms and other medical complications as well. Detoxification is actually meant to relieve withdrawal symptoms while patients adjust to a drug-free state.
Thus, the development in medical sciences has led us to finding solutions for the most severe of addictions. If someone you love is caught in the grips of heroin do not lose hope, addiction treatment is available!
