A Drug for a Drug

http://sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/64255/title/Implants_help_heroin_addicts_kick_habit

         One of the hardest things a drug user can do is quit. With quitting comes cravings, withdrawls, sweating, headaches, and many other side effects. It cannot possibly make it easy, especially when the drug one is addicted to is heroin. An overdose of heroin can kill you the first time you use it, and even if it does not, you chance already being addicted to it. So it is easy to see why someone would want to stop what they started, however its much harder to do than to say. For treatment many heroin users get methadone or buprenorphine to control withdrawl and cravings, along with counciling. I have never been an advocate for using one drug to cure the habit of another because the patient has the potential to get addicted to the second drug that is trying to help them. Yes, they may stop the heroin use, but now the person is addicted to buprenorphine tablets that can be crushed , liquified, and injected just like heroin. So what has been accomplished? An illegal drug has been substituted for a legal one, and now the addict has not recovered, just upgraded. In this article, a group of scientists decides to find a better way to break the habit while still using buprenorphine. Titan Pharaceuticals of South San Francisco, California developed an implantable form of the drug called Probuphine. It consists of four matchstick-sized implants put underneath the skin that administer a regular dose of buprenorphine over 24 weeks. When put to the test, patients who got the real Probuphine (others got placebos) had less cravings and two-thirds of them finished the test, compared to less than one-third who finished with just the placebos. Although this new way of using buprenorphine makes me less anxious about using another drug to treat a drug problem, it still seems to have downfalls that should concern people. Having implants means that the patient would not have to come to a clinic to get a regular dose of buprenorphine or methadone. That would lead to less patients attending the counciling that is crucial to staying off heroin and other opioids. The patients would never have the advice they need to kick the addiction completely, without returning or relapsing. Another thing that was concerning to me was that during the experiment, patients could come in and get additional doses of buprenorphine tablets if they felt they needed a stronger dose to stop the cravings. That, to me, still seems like the patient is addicted to taking drugs, considering buprenorphine mimics the euphoric feeling that heroin would make. I feel that scientists need to keep working to find a cure that does not use a drug to treat addiction. Using drugs like buprenorphine or methadone to treat heroin addicts are not the only ways to quit addiction, although they are statistically less effective. It takes determination and motivation, as well as life style changes and support to kick the drug habit. Heroin has a high relapse rate, but it can be done. A heroin addict has other options like detox centers and support groups like Narcotics Anonymous.