 |
|
|
|
|
August 24th, 2010
08:34 AM ET
How can I get clean from heroin?Every weekday, a CNNHealth expert doctor answers a viewer question. On Tuesdays, it's Dr. Charles Raison, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University, and an expert in the mind-body connection for health. Question asked by Kenneth, Illinois I don't understand how to get clean off heroin. I want to so bad but why do they make it cost so much? For Suboxone, you pay close to $350 for the visit plus $720 for a monthly prescription. Methadone is cheap, but my treatment center doesn't believe in methadone. Do you think methadone is that bad? I feel so lost. Dear Kenneth, In the short question above you've really given voice to the horrible pain that is common in the world of heroin addiction. Recognize, please, that I can give you only general thoughts and that at the end of the day you will need to take concrete action to conquer your addiction with the resources you've got access to. For the sake of our readers who aren't aware of the medications you refer to, let me make a couple of quick comments in this regard. Methadone, like heroin, directly stimulates opioid receptors in the central nervous system, and thus is subject to many of the same risks and liabilities as heroin. However, whereas heroin rushes into the brain when consumed, leading to an intense and very psychologically addictive "high," methadone comes into the brain slowly and stays there for quite a while at stable concentrations. These qualities allow it to take the place of heroin in terms of protecting against the horrors of opioid withdrawal and to do so in a legal and medically controlled manner. Suboxone is a combination of a medication called buprenorphine and naloxone. Unlike methadone, buprenorphine acts like an opioid at lower doses and like an "anti-opioid" at higher doses. As a result it can protect against heroin withdrawal, but is not as likely to lead to abuse as is methadone. Naloxone is included in Suboxone as a strategy for further reducing the danger of abuse, because its presence guarantees that if the medication is abused it will immediately set off severe withdrawal symptoms. People have very strong feelings about methadone. Some clinicians swear by it, others (such as your clinic) stay away from it altogether. If you take all the studies together, my sense is that methadone works as well as Suboxone for keeping people off heroin, but with a higher abuse potential. Neither Suboxone or methadone work all that well - meaning that lots of people still find themselves unable to quit using heroin. I truly believe that the best way out of your predicament is to get help that would allow you to come off the heroin all together without being chained to some type of opioid or partial-opioid agonist therapy for the rest of your life. This is not something you can do yourself. Given the desperation of your question I am pretty sure that you would need inpatient detox and then intensive outpatient follow-up. I have seen this strategy release many people from the bondage of heroin. But having said this, if you cannot face doing this, or if it is not an option for you for monetary reasons, let me strongly emphasize that being in a methadone maintenance program is infinitely better than being enslaved by heroin.
Next entry »Eggs recalled, a nation scrambles
« Previous entryStreet sledding riskier for brain injury
|
  About this blog
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love.
 |
|
|
|
uk pharmacy ed treatment medicine for erectile
discount rx rx plus pharmacy canada drug pharmacy
viagra herbs over the counter viagra walgreens viagra purchase online viagra samples in canada viagra gold hard for 36hr like viagra viagra for sale generic viagra 100mg Г— 30 pills real viagra online australia online pharmacy no prescription viagra generic viagra soft tabs reviews buy viagra new york viagra discounts buy viagra in canada toronto viagra commercial music
brand viagra viagra in kanada 100mg viagra on line http://llviabest.com/ – i want viagra ’
%viagra online redtube viagra sale viagra without prescription australia http://genqpviag.com/ – viagra asutralia ’
cheapest cialis india walmart pharmacy cialis price by cialis tablets in frankfurt pharmacy http://21cialismen.com/ – cialis black ’
hi!,I really like your writing so so much! percentage we keep up a correspondence more approximately your post on AOL? I need an expert in this house to unravel my problem. Maybe that's you! Looking ahead to peer you.
https://www.electricpercolatorcoffeepot.com/10-top-coffee-bloggers/
viagra australian does insurance cover viagra viagra without a perscription http://acialaarx.com/ – viagra without a perscription ’
cialis 20mg usa generic cialis cheapest cialis n http://cialijomen.com/ – cheap cialis for sale ’
order cialis online cheap generic cialis 20mg usa lowest price cialis http://mycialedst.com/ – cialis where to buy in las vegas nv ’
cialis dapoxetine cialis paypale cialis paypal online http://phrcialiled.com/ – generic cialis, no prescription, paypal ’
viagra no prescription overnite 4 pack viagra viagra canada by paypal https://canadianpharmacy-usx.com/organic.htm – overnight viagra delivery usa ’
generic cialis 20 mg online cialis next day delivery cialis australia online http://sjcialis.com/ – cialis 36 hour dosage ’
generic cialis in canada cialis no prescription canada cialis shop online http://cialmenshoprx.com/ – where can i buy cialis ’
cialis with dapoxetine 80mg king pharmacy how much is cialis without insurance? https://xz-pharmacyonline.com – Nortriptyline ’
cialis chennai cialis daily use side effects buy 36 hour cialis http://loncialis.com/ – cialis paypal accepted australia ’
I¡¦m now not positive the place you're getting your information, but good topic. I needs to spend some time finding out more or figuring out more. Thank you for wonderful information I was in search of this information for my mission.
https://www.electricpercolatorcoffeepot.com/10-top-coffee-bloggers/
viagra sale in malaysia cheap viagra mastercard 365 pills viagra cialis professional http://xz-pharmacyonline.com/en/career-opportunities.html – viagra generic ’
online medicine shopping prescription drug cost canada drugs pharmacy online https://canadianpharmacy-yy.com/ – canadian online pharmacy ’
looking for cialis 60mg cialis buy cialis south africa https://impotencecdny.com/info/history.php – viagra cialis sample pack ’
generic cialis or tadalafil Inderal purchase cialis online canada https://impotencecdny.com/ – pharmacy technician classes online free ’
This is a very interesting article. Please, share more like this!
https://yt1s.com
viagra online overnight shipping viagra online canadian pharmacy viagra no prescription paypal http://erectilejyzd.com/ – medical pharmacy ’
viagra on line paypal payment buy viagra in las vegas viagra viagra http://erectilejyzd.com/index.php?called=terms – viagra with dapoxetine uk ’
cheap brand viagra sildenafil 100mg price india best price for sildenafil 50 mg http://canadianpharmacy-yy.com/Fitness/how-to-get-a-six-pack.html – buy viagra over the counter uk ’
no prescription viagra canada viagra dosage amounts buy viagra phentermine online pharmacy
buy cialis online cialis free trial no prescription cialis cheapest price
Brand Viagra prescription cost canada drugs direct
buy viagra online for women viagra generic dosage prescription viagra
mexican online pharmacies pharmacy near me canadian online pharmacies prescription drugs
discount pharmacies herbal viagra samples bestsellers
pharmacy prices compare navarro pharmacy try our ed pack
online medicine order discount Cialis Oral Jelly (Orange) compound pharmacy
vardenafil pharmacy cheap no prescription viagra generic online pharmacy
pfizer viagra australia cheap viagra discount viagra online
viagra with no prescription uk female viagra wikipedia viagra cheap and fast delivery
female viagra buy online in india http://vigedon.com/ buy sildenafil citrate online
money loans worthing ez pawn payday loans las vegas will a bank loan me money to buy a business
tadalafil tablets ip 20 mg tadalafil 40 mg from india tadalafil benefits
cialis 20mg sell http://llecialisjaw.com/ cialis for sale payment paypal
payday loan debt assistance phone number fast auto and payday loans fruitridge top cash advance places
cialis demora tempo fazer efeito como tomar el cialis precio cialis farmacia
durata scadenza cialis cialis pill splitting cialis medicamento bula
cash loans in arizona for bad credit what is the maximum cash advance second chance payday loans
top easy payday loans can i get a cash advance on my capital one credit card cash out harp loan
viagra with fast shipping cheap generic viagra pills buy viagra on line
prolonged effects of cialis http://buycialisxz.com/ walmart price for cialis
viagra 200mg viagra in stores viagra super active
viagra discount where can i buy viagra over the counter usa viagra ingredients