Common Medication Prescribed
Drug addiction treatment medications
Treatment with methadone or LAAM (levo-alpha-acetyl-methadol) when used in a medically supervised environment like a hospital can also suppress heroin withdrawal symptoms and drug cravings. These medications help improve the chances that someone will stay in a treatment program. If not for these medications, withdrawal symptoms might be so intense that the person feels there is no other choice but to return to using the drug just to relieve the symptoms.
The person is eventually taken off this substitute medication. Other medications that might be used are long-acting sedatives, such as diazepam or phenobarbital. However, relapse is always possible.
People who cannot stay off heroin even after getting through withdrawal with methadone are given maintenance therapy, usually with methadone. This dose of methadone, usually higher than that used for medically assisted withdrawal, prevents withdrawal symptoms and heroin craving and may be given for longer periods. The doctor can determine how long.
People taking higher doses of methadone (usually a minimum of 60 mg) succeed better with maintenance therapy, and if they have counseling, therapy, medical care, and methadone, they generally get better results than programs that don't do as much.
The drug naltrexone is also used to prevent relapse. All three - methadone, LAAM and naltrexone - prevent addicts from getting high from heroin. However, naltrexone does not eliminate drug craving.
The buprenorphine monotherapy product, Subutex® and a buprenorphine/naloxone combination product, Suboxone® can be used for opioid addiction treatment. The combination product is designed to decrease the potential for abuse by injection.
More on Teen Substance Abuse Teen Substance Abuse Hotline Links
In the Encyclopedia: Cocaine
Drug overdose
Hallucinations
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)
Superior vena cava syndrome
This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.
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