What Medications Are Used To Treat Opiate Addiction

 

There is no doubt that drug abuse is a serious problem in society. The scourge has split families, let to millions of deaths and contributed to an increase in different types of crimes. What is ironical about drug abuse is that some of the abused drugs are meant to help relieve pain in patients, but people use it to get high instead, hence the harmful effects. Opioids, for instance, are a group of pain medication that can be highly addictive if abused. There are several opiate addiction treatment centers across the country, and they are all experiencing considerable success. During treatment, certain medications are used to counter the effects of withdrawal, act as substitutes for opiates, suppress cravings and help treat opiate addiction.

Medications Used for Opiate Addiction Treatment

i) Methadone

This is the most popular medication for treating opiate addiction. It is a full opioid agonist. While methadone may have never been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the drug has proven to be very effective with minimal side effects. It is normally given to patients in various forms, including; liquid concentrate, solution, powder or tablet form. Dosage normally depends on the level of addiction. Methadone is basically a synthetic opioid, which acts by suppressing opioid craving as well as withdrawal symptoms.

ii) LAAM

This is also a full opioid agonist that helps to suppress withdrawal symptoms as well as eliminate opioid craving. However, the use of LAAM to treat opiate addiction has reduced significantly over the years. This is because some patients who used LAAM experienced cardiac arrhythmia. Usage of the drug reduced further in the year 2001. Ironically, the FDA approved LAAM for use in opiate addiction treatment in the year 1993. Available as an oral solution, the dose of synthetic opioid needed to treat opiate addiction depends on the patient's level of tolerance for short-acting opioids.

It is important to note that the medication used for opiate addiction treatment are normally eliminated by the body's excretory system. Enzymes in the liver are largely responsible for metabolizing this synthetic opioid, but there are also enzymes in the intestines that help with metabolism and removal of the metabolites.