Promising Treatment for Heroin Dependency

Some 56 heroin-dependent patients who had undergone detoxification treatment and were particularly motivated to remain heroin-free took part in a research study. Half of the participants were implanted with a total of 20 subcutaneous pellets containing naltrexone, which was gradually released from a saline solution with the aim of producing a six-month blockage effect. All the participants continued their normal follow-up treatments while the study was ongoing.
After six months, over twice as many in the group receiving naltrexone as in the control group (11 out of 23 as opposed to 5 out of 26) managed to refrain from using heroin and other morphine substances. Heroin use among those patients receiving naltrexone who did not manage to discontinue using heroin altogether was more than halved compared with their level of heroin use before they started treatment. In the control group the majority of patients relapsed to daily heroin use.
Satisfaction with the naltrexone implants was high. On a scale from 0 to 100 the participants gave the capsules a score of 85.

Clear-cut findings

Helge Waal, Professor emeritus at SERAF, would like to see the naltrexone implant included as one of the treatment options offered to heroin-dependent patients in Norway.
“Although this is a relatively small-scale study, the findings are so clear-cut that we think this should become an important treatment option for substance abusers.”

Source: The Research Council of Norway (2011, February 17) Retrieved February 18, 2011, from http://www.sciencedaily.com

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