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i am doing a sissertation on two treatments for heroin addiction, methadone and subutex, i have to compare the two to see which is the better treatment. i am starting with the history of heroin,,needs to be from the 60`s

i dont really have your answer, but please keep in mind - methadone is addictive in itself. I work in the drug and alcohol field and some of our clients list methadone as a drug of choice besides heroin.

2006-05-16 07:39:02 by Sazbl

This video I talk about my own personal addiction to opiates (painkillers and heroin) and what led up to my enrolling in the methadone treatment ...

He has been at Rochester Strong Memorial for awhile. He is 24 years old and has slowly gotten worse. He was able to walk and talk last week, and sat went thru cardiac arrest and they placed a balloon in his heart to pump it for him, They took the balloon out a couple of days ago and replaced it with a mechanical pump. Last night he was able to talk a lil on the phone and walk a little, but today out of nowhere, he is not talking or responding to commands. Sometimes he squeezes my hand when I ask, opens his eyes, itches his nose, but for some odd reason he is unable to speak now. They did not find anything wrong with his brain in the catscan but will need more scans and an eeg. I'm scared for my little brother and any advise or ideals on what may be happening....can help us out a little. He will need a heart transplant to live a somewhat normal life after this (as per the doctors), but they have strict guidelines and rules he will need to follow when he is released and will have to adhere to it for 6 months to qualify for the transplant he will need. Essentially, he will have his life in his own hands, but right now we are just doing everything to keep him alive. What would cause him to not speak today?????

A drop in cardiac output may do that but there are other things that can also cause this. Pump failure caused by cardiomyopathy makes one extremely tired, it is a huge effort to do some of the simplest things. Also, one may develop pulmonary edema where it is difficult to breathe, peripheral edema (swelling of the legs and other places). The doctors will have to keep his heart pumping enough blood to feed all his organs through medication and assist devices. When the heart cannot pump enough blood, the blood collects in places causing the edema, the tissues and organs get ischemic (inadequate blood supply and oxygen) and other problems develop. For example, if his brain is not getting enough blood, it will be hard for him to stay conscious.

BTW, I don't think the cardiomyopathy is related to the opiate addiction. If he was injecting drugs, he will have a greater risk of developping endocarditis, but I don't think it increases the risk of cardiomyopathy, drinking a kot of alcohol has been known to cause cardiomyopathy as well as other causes.

2008-11-28 19:13:16 by Rob M

Price: $34.00

I have battled opiate addiction for two years now, started with popping hydros and slowly escalated, culminating in slamming heroin. My problem is this... due to getting in trouble with the law, my parents found out about habit and found needles, etc. They took away my phone and have me under surveillance and I don't blame them. I really want to find help and go to a rehab or something comparable but the problem is the incredibly long waiting lists.

I haven't used in two days and am going through hell and I know that suboxone has helped me in the past. What I am afraid of is finally getting in to see a doctor and due to my lockdown and everything I explain my history to the doctor who is subsequently astonished to find NO OPIATES in my drug test. I am afraid this will stop him from prescribing subs, which I desperately do need.

Any comments of advice would be greatly appreciated
Any expert thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated, as would urgency. I really am at a loss for what to do.

if it comes down to the doctor not finding heroin in your system try explaining it to him, if you shoot heroin up then show him/her your track marks. suboxone is the best thing you can do besides going to rehab. try checking other rehabs around your area, im sure you will be able to find one that doesn't have a waiting list. good luck!

2009-03-08 16:20:41 by greg h

Price: $17.95

My sister has a history of addiction to opiates, not stimulants. Sober 6 months. She was diagnosed with ADD as an adult and given Strattera. I think her problem with ADD is worse than her addiction ever was, and Strattera doesn't seem to be working.

In short, yes a psychiatrist will prescribe a controlled stimulant for adults with ADD who are recovering addicts.

In essence, the psychiatrist will weigh out the benefits of the medication against any potential risks. As someone who has taken stimulants to control rapid cycling bipolar (which has very similar symptoms to ADD/ADHD,) the effects of a stimulant were opposite (calmed me down, focused my concentration) of what they would be in someone who was taking them for stimulation (sped up.) What this meant was that I was not getting the same 'enjoyment' from the drug as someone who was taking it for pure stimulation.

It is my belief, that because of the lack of stimulation or 'high,' that this reduced potential of the drug becoming an addiction drug, one for which it was taken for the stimulating effects.

If the Strattera isn't working, then your sister needs to see her physician and discuss trying other medications which may work.

2007-01-25 10:08:57 by Alex K

My fiance is on the Suboxone program for opiate addiction. His doctor recently lowered his dosage, and he has been doing fine. The only complaint was that he had difficulty concentrating on the lower dosage, so the doctor prescribed him Strattera for ADD.

Firstly, my fiance doesn't feel he has ADD or, if he does, it's a very mild case of it. Secondly, him and I both have a history of addiction, particularly with amphetamine ADD meds such as Adderall and Ritalin. We would fake our way through tests and doctor-shop to obtain the drug, and we wound up in some pretty bad places.

Both of us are in recovery now, and working strong programs, but I worry that the medicine may trip him into old "addict behavior", or have some sort of mood or mind-altering effect that will either lead him to become dependent on the drug, or craving something stronger.

His doctor assured him that Strattera is safe. I think his doctor is a bozo, and prescribed it unnecessarily.

Please share your experiences with Strattera- does it have potential for abuse? Obviously, the Strattera website doesn't admit to anything like that, so that's why I'm asking for personal stories.

We have come a long way, and we can't afford to mess around with sh*t like this.

Nope. Strattera has the abuse potential of table salt. No addictive potential. A couple things to note though: essentially all addicts display certain traits of ADD. And when they get sober, or closer to sober they tend to have trouble focusing, and some of these traits become more pronounced. Strattera is well-loved in the addiction medicine field because it actually works well for these symptoms and has no abuse potential. And if it doesn't help you, you can always just stop it.

The fact that you're worrying about the abuse potential of your medication, that you're checking it out is a good sign. That's an excellent instinct.

Congratulations. Keep with your programs, keep with your sponsors, keep with your doctors, and best of luck. It always makes me warm and tingly to see someone actually recovering.

2008-09-24 19:32:43 by Pimp Stain