Rapid opiate detoxification (ROD)

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Hypothesis Testing

 It does not offer instant and immediate healing to opiate addicts.

 ROD causes renal and heart failure with death occurring in some cases.

 Withdrawal symptoms are felt after 24 hours and within 6 months, up to 80% of patients revert to opiate abuse.

 Agonist medicines therefore remain more promising in opiate detoxification as they reduce fatalities while relieving withdrawal symptoms effectively.

 The traditional detoxification approaches lead to gradual detoxification thus avoiding withdrawal symptoms eventually leading to independence from opiates.

Buprenorphrine

 Buprenorphrine is a synthetic opioid (phenanthrene) widely used in opiate detoxification to minimize withdrawal symptoms.

 Although buprenorphrine has a few side effects, these are not as strong as those of natural opioids.

 It is more competitive in binding to brain cells than natural opioids and relieves severe stress in opiate withdrawal.

 Excess buprenorphrine does not result into dizziness since agonist effects reach a plateau.

 Buprenorphrine has a long half life (up to 72 hours) hence it reduces withdrawal symptoms for long.

 Patients can self administer buprenorphrine.

Buprenorphrine

 Buprenorphrine is administered:

 Intravenously- rapid distribution and slow elimination, rapid ease of withdrawal symptoms.

 Intramuscularly –slower distribution rate

 Sublingually – cumbersome to administer and slow rate of absorption.

 Buprenorphrine is quite new and not extensively tested hence not recommended for pregnant women.

 Not recommended for people who are not addicted to opiates since it is a mild opiate.

Methadone

 The earliest (over 30 years) drug in treatment of opiate addiction.

 It effectively treats addiction withdrawal symptoms for opiate drugs only.

 Methadone has a shorter half-life than buprenorphrine.

 It is clinically safe and has no physiological damage hence it is an effective alternative to buprenorphrine.

 Although methadone and buprenorphrine cause some addiction, patients undergoing treatment still carry their normal lives well.