About Heroin Abuse

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) can be used in opioid and heroin addiction to help reduce withdrawal symptoms. It also helps relieve the urge to use. Methadone, a highly addictive substance, was once the only option to help with heroin addiction. However, more medications are now available to help treat heroin addiction. Though, it depends on an individual’s drug experience, patterns of behavior, and overall health history. All these factors are considered when choosing the appropriate drugs in MAT.

Achieving Lighter Symptoms with Heroin Detox

When choosing a treatment center to help you treat your heroin addiction, there are important things to be certain of. It is important to make sure they have a certified opioid treatment program, they have a medical doctor on staff, and they allow medication-assisted treatment (MAT).

It is highly medically recommended to participate in an inpatient medically supervised detox. Patients are medically supervised 24/7 for their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) can be beneficial through the detox process and throughout treatment because it can help minimize the harsh effects of withdrawal symptoms.

These are the symptoms you may experience in withdrawing from heroin:

• Bone pain
• Diarrhea
• Cold flashes
• Vomiting
• Muscle cramping

In addition to general weakness, nausea, sneezing, and restlessness are common withdrawal symptoms. You also are more likely to experience depression and insomnia.

Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for Heroin Addiction

Each drug designed to treat heroin addiction can target specific elements within addiction. They are FDA-approved and help lessen withdrawal symptoms as a person goes through detox. However, some medications can also be used long-term, even for years to come.

• Methadone – Used for well more than fifty years for heroin addiction treatment. It blocks a person from experiencing the high from heroin. It also works well for those who do not respond to other medications. Yet it is highly addictive and must be administered daily to prevent abuse and overdose.
• Buprenorphine (commonly known as Subutex) – Does not produce a high and reduces the craving for heroin. Less risk of becoming addicted to it, although it still can become habit-forming and abused through injection.
• Naltrexone – Also blocks the ability to experience the heroin’s high. This medication is non-addictive. The long-acting forms of this drug are more effective for compliance among patients.
• Suboxone – A medication mixture of buprenorphine and naloxone, it helps reverse an opioid overdose. Although, it is not as potent as buprenorphine, methadone, or naltrexone.

For those who are pregnant, medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is approved. Heroin use during pregnancy is catastrophic. It leads to neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), which is a condition where the baby is born with a full-blown heroin addiction. Receiving medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in pregnancy can usually help the baby have milder symptoms and recover after birth.

Wellness Programs

To help support the recovery journey, we also have several wellness programs. These programs include art therapy, physical fitness, meditation, music therapy, nutrition and exercise, and yoga.

Family is a major part of supporting the individual’s healing. We strongly believe in the family dynamic and the participation of family members in treatment. The entire family gets sick from mental illness but can also heal together.

Get Heroin Abuse Treatment Today

If you are interested in the unique heroin addiction treatments and programs we have to offer, please contact us today. We welcome the opportunity to help you or your loved one build a foundation for enduring recovery.