Comments on: 2 New Ways to Kick Heroin: A High-Blocking Injection, a Long-Lasting Implant

By: PressingThe Issue

PressingThe Issue — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 20:50:45 +0000

I’ve been in a Suboxone outpatient treatment program for awhile now and it has changed my life! I’m almost done with my treatment and am getting a little nervous.. I think that I’m gonna get on vivitrol to add a little extra protection as well as continuing one on one and group therapy. Please click on PressingTheIssue above this post to get more information regarding getting help for heroin addiction.

By: Patti Wilson-Herndon

Patti Wilson-Herndon — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 22:43:29 +0000

Dean,

Sincere congratulations on your four years of sustained recovery.

“Sustained recovery”. -Aiming for what I hope for you will be another LOL-able moment in your addiction journey. Hey…Whatever gets your giggle on. No judgment…I’m just sayin’ ;0)

It occurs that perhaps a de-fancified approach of “Congrats on four years of clean “piss testing” might suit you better ;0) “Down to earth” , very “trade”-recognizable “technical” terminology ;0)

By: Dean

Dean — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 16:43:09 +0000

Being an ex “addiction-challenged” person (i did lol ..addict would have done well enough)
I had treatment with both methadone and buprenorphine . Buprenorphine the first time then what i found the more beneficial methadone. Thankfully i have now been clean for over 4 years and can safely say, i will never go back to using heroin due to the care and insight i was given by ex addicts in the drop in center i visited .
Use of language is highly important when dealing with people in this situation, a down to earth approach will get you everywhere with them. No amount of fancy wording or the belief that “Most people become drug users because of sexual trauma as kids or other violence” can help you or the patient. For me it was as simple as Tried it, liked it, kept doing it until it was to late to stop without treatment.
During my time at the center i did become aware that some people try to abuse the help and use it as a “free hit” it is a fact that some people” want to stick with the opiates they know and love” it is sad, but some people just cannot be helped.
” Piss testing” (this is the technical term in the trade) was also a very important part of my rehabilitation. Test positive and your out of the game, this happed to me once and it gave me the time to think about how good life can be when your illicit drug free.
Hard but fair will win the battle. ;)

By: Patti Wilson-Herndon

Patti Wilson-Herndon — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 21:19:10 +0000

Thanks, Hans, for this info. on IBOGAINE. And, best wishes for health and well-being to you and your son. I can’t help but imagine that your son has been, and is, fortunate, (even in the circumstances he faces), to have you as a parent.

“The immense societal problems caused by the proliferation of the abuse of opiates should be reason enough for us to look at IBOGAINE as a potential means to address and reverse this alarming trend.”

You’re so right… I believe potential society-healing “helps/supports” for substance dependent individuals should be considered, investigated and offered to the public to learn more about. You just helped that process along.

By: Hans Bottesch

Hans Bottesch — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:08:54 +0000

I was hoping to see some mention of the use of the drug IBOGAINE to treat drug addiction. Presumably, this drug, derived from the African Iboga plant, offers long-lasting, if not permanent relief from the urge to relapse into opiate addiction. Treatment is currently available in Europe, Cancda and Mexico, and is expensive ($5k) according to what I have read. Successful treatment ranges from good to miraculous. If this is true, we should already be focused on studying and developing this drug for use here in the U.S. You can look it up on the web. The immense societal problems caused by the proliferation of the abuse of opiates should be reason enough for us to look at IBOGAINE as a potential means to address and reverse this alarming trend. Otherwise, we will eventually go the way of China during the Opium Wars. My youngest son is a Heroin addict and is currently serving 7-20 years for the addiction-driven crimes of burglary which he committed.

By: Eliza Strickland

Eliza Strickland — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 20:23:09 +0000

It’s a blog post, y’all, not a scholarly article in a medical journal. I’m a fan of Jen’s lively writing.

– Eliza, DISCOVER online news editor

By: MensaJeff

MensaJeff — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 03:59:33 +0000

It is, in fact, a urine analysis…among people with a respect for society and civilization. Adults, let’s say.
And yes, the statement, “Most people become drug users because of sexual trauma as kids or other violence” is laughable without backup data, and I’ll bet there aren’t any.

But the big disappointment is that I never expected to find such a smart-alecky tone in your magazine. It displays a lack of professionalism, and undermines the truth and authority of your voice. And the author’s flippant remarks betray an opinion of the subject matter, and the people involved, that does not belong in the article.
To your credit, this article is almost shockingly out of place.
There’s nothing wrong with trying to lighten otherwise dry and technical reporting of facts, which is the bulk of what you do, but that doesn’t mean that any and all subjects are good candidates for it.
Disappointing.

By: Phil Doran

Phil Doran — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 03:28:39 +0000

Naltrexone is also used as a last resort for parrots that persistently pluck their own feathers, and cannot be cured by different management.
It blocks the effects of endorphins.

But leave it to your vet to work out the correct dose.

By: Patti Wilson-Herndon

Patti Wilson-Herndon — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 20:14:15 +0000

“Most people become drug users because of sexual trauma as kids or other violence.”

Oh dear…”Most” people ? Wow. This, folks, is a good example of how an “addiction expert” can undermine the credibility and merit of the field of addictions study, as well as discrediting the reputations of other “experts” in research. Nice going, Bruce. Ever heard of “stigma”?

Mr. Bruce? Next time you have the opportunity to do some good in educating the public about these Medical Assisted Treatment (MATS) developments in the field of addictions study, I suggest you remember this particular gaffe in excrementitious ineptitude. You’re NOT helping a whole lot, here.

The good news, Folks: The rest of that quote was meritable. So, let’s focus on the better accurate attributes of his offering, shall we? ” To break the addiction cycle, Bruce says, medication must be complemented with counseling. “They will always have to take the meds if they never deal with the root issue.” Good boy, Bruce ;0)

The majority of contemporary addictions professionals tend toward viewing substance use disorders as a collective result of biological (i.e., genetic, biochemical) and environmental (i.e., family systems and community/societal dynamics) dysfunction. Think “biology/gene-related component as the gun, the environmental component (ailing family system/societal stigmas) as the trigger”. So…. what Bruce inferred, about “counseling” being an intregal piece in the puzzle in terms of addressing the whole picture”, is on target.

If you’re a parent of an addiction challenged son or daughter ….move heaven and earth to to stay current in terms of your own education as to available treatments. Don’t put limits on the “recovery discovery” potential of your loved who is addiction-challenged by prescribing only to 12 steps, or “prayer” as a the end all be all; BECAUSE: One size does not fit all. This is especially true of addiction recovery. Promote self-efficacy by encouraging your family member to explore treatment options.

It’s the addicted individuals’ responsibility to do the problem-solving leg work. If you’re the family member it’s your role to support lovingly, responsibly what it is that will result in enhanced coping for your addiction-challenged family member. Harm reduction is valid. Remember it’s not about you…Yes, i get it, their addiction impacts you. That’s life. We don’t pick and choose these things. Ultimately, it’s about helping the addicted individual cope better and better, little by little, utilizing any and all methods available. Family and community support is a critical component in that coping potential. psychotherapeutic, cognitive behavioral and motivational therapies activate good coping mechanisms for many, many substance disordered individuals, even those with the most severe symptoms.

I’m hopeful that vivitrol and other types of MATS will prove effective, long term. I’m grateful for the people that work so hard to unravel the mysteries of the brain. Keep up the good work addictions researchers…but mind your tongues, too. Informed people know BS when they read it . Some poop is to be expected…but, when the crap contaminates, otherwise, good information about the biopsychosocial reality of addiction; there will, usually, be a whistle blower at the ready to cover up the pile so the focus remains excrement-free.

By: MARS Director

MARS Director — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 13:05:40 +0000

Many of the comments in this so called scientific article are just repeating the same old nonsense that has no evidence to support it including: “Most people become drug users because of sexual trauma as kids or other violence.”some perhaps but to say most you need evidence, and my favorite comment from the non biased researcher ….”For those who want to stick with the opiates they know and love,” .
I don’t know how to repond to someone who thinks treatment with agonist medications is effective because patients “know and love” them. If “DISCOVER” is going to pretend to be more then the “same old same old you will have to make a little better effort to conceal your bias.

By: Dode

Dode — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 01:59:38 +0000

LOL funny, I zeroed in on the Piss comment too, I work in the oil field, and guys get “piss-tested” all the time. I substituted “urine analysis” for you guys in order to maintain the scientific intellectual no- B.S. facts – and the world didn’t explode!!!

By: Jim

Jim — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 20:17:17 +0000

It’s really good that they found somethnig that works very well against drug addiction. One small thing surprised me though, they said, “And the piss tests came back cleaner too–37 percent of those on the implant never tested positive for illicit drugs, compared to 22 percent of those with the placebo.” I was very surprised they said “piss” instead of urine, made me chuckle.

By: Rhacodactylus

Rhacodactylus — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 17:25:35 +0000

This is awesome! Addiction science is such an odd field, it's so hard to find evidence based approaches, if one more person tells me to accept a higher power I'm knocking over the table with all the coffee and donuts on it =) ~Rhaco