Pubdate: Mon, 26 Jun 2006 Source: Berkshire Eagle, The (Pittsfield, MA) Copyright: 2006 New England Newspapers, Inc. Contact: http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/897 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?136 (Methadone) HELP FOR HEROIN ADDICTS There are essentially two drugs in wide use to help recovering addicts: Methadone -- The longest-used and perhaps most controversial of heroin treatments. Methadone is an opioid that acts on the same receptors in the brain as heroin. Unlike heroin, however, it is long-acting. So whereas a severe heroin addict needs to use that drug three or four times a day to avoid withdrawal, methadone can be administered once a day. The criticism surrounding methadone is that it replaces one addiction with another. A user can be on methadone for years. But its proponents point to studies that show conclusively that it reduces death and crime and increases job performance in heroin addicts. Buprenorphine -- The newest treatment for heroin has been falsely heralded as a panacea, doctors say. While it is not a miracle pill, it is an effective tool. The drug is an opioid, but, unlike heroin and methadone, it has a ceiling: If a user takes two or three times the prescribed dose, they will feel no pleasurable effects. It works on the same receptors as heroin, methadone and all other opioids, so it helps the patient avoid withdrawal and craving. It has the added benefit of being administered in a doctor's office, not at a special clinic where addicts mix with other addicts and risk reinforcing bad behaviors. Buprenorphine, however, is not for everyone. If an addict is using too much heroin, Buprenorphine will actually force them into withdrawal. But if patients can reduce drug use on their own to an acceptable level, Buprenorphine can help. Buprenorphine often is given in pill form, mixed with Naloxone, which blocks the effects of opioids. The mixture is designed to prevent patients from injecting Buprenorphine in search of a more intense high. When the drug is taken as designed -- dissolved under the tongue -- the Naloxone will not prevent Buprenorphine from working. Heroin help is available at the following places: Brien Center: 24-hour crisis line: (800) 252-0227; www.briencenter.org. McGee Unit of Berkshire Medical Center: (413) 442-1400. Massachusetts Bureau of Substance Abuse Services: mass.gov/dph/bsas Source: Eagle interviews - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman