Pubdate: Mon, 10 Apr 2006
Source: Salt Lake Tribune (UT)
Copyright: 2006 The Salt Lake Tribune
Contact:  http://www.sltrib.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/383
Author: Carey Hamilton And Kirsten Stewart
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)

RISKY RAPID DETOX VOWS RESULTS

Opiate Addiction: 3-Day Program Allegedly Kicks Cravings Without 
Withdrawals; Critics Bash The Process

Mike Brown's descent into prescription pain pill addiction began 
innocently, when he was given Vicodin by a dentist after a root canal.

"In three days I took all 30 pills and got hooked," he said. "I 
couldn't believe the high. It became a quest to find doctors who 
would write me prescriptions."

The Salt Lake Valley salesman, then 36, had no history of substance 
abuse. His use soon began spiraling out of control when his wife died 
in 2000, eight months after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Brown's tolerance grew, and he became physically ill when he tried to 
quit. Eventually, tired of his secret, his mood swings and paying 
$500 a month for OxyContin, Lortab and a doctor's office visit for a 
fake back injury, he sought help.

His story of addiction is becoming too common in Utah, where 
prescription drug abuse is increasing at alarming rates. But the type 
of treatment he underwent is anything but conventional.

Brown, now 44, paid almost $15,000 for a controversial medical method 
known as "rapid," or "anesthesia-assisted," detoxification. Dubbed 
"detox for the Botox set" by Elle Magazine, the procedure involves 
placing patients under anesthesia before giving them medicines that 
block opiate cravings.

It's expensive and insurance companies don't cover it, making it 
off-limits to all but the most affluent.

Brown says it was worth every penny, but others say the risks - 
including death - are too great, and contend the low relapse rates 
touted by practitioners are overblown.

"I was afraid of getting sick." Clifford Bernstein, an 
anesthesiologist and director of the Waismann Institute, where Brown 
went for treatment in southern California, has performed about 2,500 
rapid detox procedures over the past eight years. The institute 
claims to be the go-to place for stars and athletes seeking to kick 
opiates. Not counting California, Utah is one of the top five states 
where clients are from, it says.

"You wouldn't expect it because [Utah] seems like such a clean-living 
place," Bernstein said.

He said the Waismann method is safe and prevents patients from 
experiencing the diarrhea, stomach cramps, body aches, extreme 
anxiety and sweats that often occur when they quit cold turkey.

These benefits intrigued Brown, who stumbled on the Waismann 
Institute on the Internet. "I wanted to be sober so bad, but I was 
afraid of getting sick," he said.

He flew down, leaving his 16-year-old daughter in charge of his 
10-year-old son for the weekend. By Tuesday, he was back at work, 
and, although tired, he felt he had kicked his physical addiction.

"I was so relieved that I was clean without the horrible 
withdrawals," said Brown, who has been sober for a year. "Physically, 
the addiction was gone, so then it became a mental battle that I 
still deal with."

In the intensive care unit of an Orange County hospital, patients 
undergo an EKG, blood work, a chest X-ray and a stress test. 
Bernstein administers propofol, a short-acting anesthetic, and a 
mixture of medications, including clonidine, a blood pressure 
medicine. After about an hour, the patient wakes up and is given a 
sleeping pill to rest and other sedatives if needed.

Patients typically stay for three days. They are then contacted by a 
counselor for six weeks and prescribed Naltrexone, which blocks the 
euphoric effects of opiates.

"The Waismann method is not a 12-step program," Bernstein said. "It's 
medical treatment to get you off the drugs and block withdrawals. Our 
patients aren't treated like drug addicts. Most don't need to go to rehab."

No quick cure: The prospect of a quick fix may be alluring to 
addicts. But it is among the chief complaints for critics.

[Sidebar]

Rx Drugs Pass Illegal Ones In Fatal Overdoses

Prescription narcotics, including Lortab and Oxycontin, have 
surpassed methadone and illicit drugs as the leading contributors to 
fatal drug overdoses in Utah. In 2005, 462 Utah deaths were tied to 
drugs, according to new mortality data from the state Health 
Department. That's up from 414 drug deaths in 2004, an increase 
driven mostly by commercial painkillers.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman