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06-08-2006, 07:37 AM
Drug Helps Teens Kick Opiate Abuse
Three-quarters treated with buprenorphine stuck with therapy, study found.
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 5 (HealthDay News) -- The drug buprenorphine appears effective in treating teens addicted to heroin and other opiates, researchers report.
The use of heroin among adolescents has more than doubled in the past 10 years, noted researchers from the University of Vermont. There's also been an increase in this age group of the illicit use of prescription opiates such as OxyContin and Vicodin. Opiates are the second most commonly used illicit drugs among teens, second only to marijuana.
The study involved 36 opiate-addicted adolescents undergoing detoxification, and compared the effectiveness of buprenorphine hydrochloride to that of another drug called clonidine hydrochloride.
Buprenorphine (brand name Temgesic) treats opiate addiction by preventing symptoms of withdrawal. Clonidine, which belongs to a family of drugs called alpha-blockers, is most commonly used to treat high blood pressure.
During the 28-day study, the teens were assigned to outpatient, medication-assisted withdrawal treatment that included drug treatment and behavioral counseling three times a week.
Over the course of the study, 72 percent of the teens who received buprenorphine remained in treatment, compared with 39 percent of the teens who received clonidine.
"Results clearly demonstrated that combining buprenorphine with behavioral interventions is significantly more efficacious in the treatment of opiod-dependent adolescents relative to combining clonidine with behavioral interventions," the researchers wrote.
The findings appear in the October issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
More information
The American Medical Association has more about opioid abuse - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/292/11/1394 .
Opioid Abuse
Opioids are a family of related drugs that relieve pain. All of the opioids (sometimes called narcotics) are chemically related to opium, which is a substance collected from the poppy plant. Opioid drugs include opium, codeine, fentanyl, heroin, hydrocodone, methadone, morphine, oxycodone, paregoric, and sufentanil. When prescribed by a doctor, the pain-relieving properties of opioids are used during and after surgical procedures, for the pain of childbirth, for injury, and for other pain problems. Although opioid medications have helped millions of individuals with pain, these drugs can be used inappropriately. The September 15, 2004, issue of JAMA includes an article about abuse of prescription opioid medication.
ABUSE AND DEPENDENCE
Drug abuse is a pattern of inappropriate drug use that leads to recurrent problems in fulfilling obligations, impaired physical functioning, conflicts with family and friends, and legal problems. Drug abuse may progress to dependence (sometimes called addiction), manifested by a strong desire to continue the drug despite the increasingly severe problems it causes, tolerance (a need for larger amounts of the drug to get the same effects), and withdrawal symptoms if the drug is stopped.
SYMPTOMS AND SIGNS OF OPIOID ABUSE
* Sedation, sleepiness, or lethargy
* Avoidance and withdrawal from usual activities
* Multiple visits to multiple doctors to increase amounts of prescription drugs available for abuse
* Confusion
* Weight loss
COMPLICATIONS OF OPIOID ABUSE
* Blood-borne infections from unsterile injections, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis viruses, and bacterial infections
* Job loss with possible financial devastation
* Loss of family, friends, and career-related relationships
* Increased chance of risky behavior, including driving under the influence
* Drug overdoses, which can lead to brain damage or death
* Miscarriage, stillbirth, or infants with low birth weight due to opioid abuse during pregnancy. Babies born to addicted mothers will be born addicted to the opioid and will have withdrawal symptoms after birth.
TREATMENT OF OPIOID ADDICTION
Recognition and admission that drug abuse exists is the first step in treatment. Drug addiction is a chronic medical problem. It is a treatable disease but relapse is a prominent feature. Relapse must be considered as part of a treatment plan. Drug abuse counseling is an important part of treatment. Participation in support groups, such as Narcotics Anonymous, may help individuals in treatment for opioid abuse. Certain medications may be used as a part of treatment. These include methadone, a long-acting opioid taken by mouth, which can substitute for the harmful injection of illegally obtained opioids.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
* National Institute on Drug Abuse
http://www.nida.nih.gov
* National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence
800/622-2255
http://www.ncadd.org
* American Psychiatric Association
http://www.psych.org
Three-quarters treated with buprenorphine stuck with therapy, study found.
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 5 (HealthDay News) -- The drug buprenorphine appears effective in treating teens addicted to heroin and other opiates, researchers report.
The use of heroin among adolescents has more than doubled in the past 10 years, noted researchers from the University of Vermont. There's also been an increase in this age group of the illicit use of prescription opiates such as OxyContin and Vicodin. Opiates are the second most commonly used illicit drugs among teens, second only to marijuana.
The study involved 36 opiate-addicted adolescents undergoing detoxification, and compared the effectiveness of buprenorphine hydrochloride to that of another drug called clonidine hydrochloride.
Buprenorphine (brand name Temgesic) treats opiate addiction by preventing symptoms of withdrawal. Clonidine, which belongs to a family of drugs called alpha-blockers, is most commonly used to treat high blood pressure.
During the 28-day study, the teens were assigned to outpatient, medication-assisted withdrawal treatment that included drug treatment and behavioral counseling three times a week.
Over the course of the study, 72 percent of the teens who received buprenorphine remained in treatment, compared with 39 percent of the teens who received clonidine.
"Results clearly demonstrated that combining buprenorphine with behavioral interventions is significantly more efficacious in the treatment of opiod-dependent adolescents relative to combining clonidine with behavioral interventions," the researchers wrote.
The findings appear in the October issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
More information
The American Medical Association has more about opioid abuse - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/292/11/1394 .
Opioid Abuse
Opioids are a family of related drugs that relieve pain. All of the opioids (sometimes called narcotics) are chemically related to opium, which is a substance collected from the poppy plant. Opioid drugs include opium, codeine, fentanyl, heroin, hydrocodone, methadone, morphine, oxycodone, paregoric, and sufentanil. When prescribed by a doctor, the pain-relieving properties of opioids are used during and after surgical procedures, for the pain of childbirth, for injury, and for other pain problems. Although opioid medications have helped millions of individuals with pain, these drugs can be used inappropriately. The September 15, 2004, issue of JAMA includes an article about abuse of prescription opioid medication.
ABUSE AND DEPENDENCE
Drug abuse is a pattern of inappropriate drug use that leads to recurrent problems in fulfilling obligations, impaired physical functioning, conflicts with family and friends, and legal problems. Drug abuse may progress to dependence (sometimes called addiction), manifested by a strong desire to continue the drug despite the increasingly severe problems it causes, tolerance (a need for larger amounts of the drug to get the same effects), and withdrawal symptoms if the drug is stopped.
SYMPTOMS AND SIGNS OF OPIOID ABUSE
* Sedation, sleepiness, or lethargy
* Avoidance and withdrawal from usual activities
* Multiple visits to multiple doctors to increase amounts of prescription drugs available for abuse
* Confusion
* Weight loss
COMPLICATIONS OF OPIOID ABUSE
* Blood-borne infections from unsterile injections, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis viruses, and bacterial infections
* Job loss with possible financial devastation
* Loss of family, friends, and career-related relationships
* Increased chance of risky behavior, including driving under the influence
* Drug overdoses, which can lead to brain damage or death
* Miscarriage, stillbirth, or infants with low birth weight due to opioid abuse during pregnancy. Babies born to addicted mothers will be born addicted to the opioid and will have withdrawal symptoms after birth.
TREATMENT OF OPIOID ADDICTION
Recognition and admission that drug abuse exists is the first step in treatment. Drug addiction is a chronic medical problem. It is a treatable disease but relapse is a prominent feature. Relapse must be considered as part of a treatment plan. Drug abuse counseling is an important part of treatment. Participation in support groups, such as Narcotics Anonymous, may help individuals in treatment for opioid abuse. Certain medications may be used as a part of treatment. These include methadone, a long-acting opioid taken by mouth, which can substitute for the harmful injection of illegally obtained opioids.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
* National Institute on Drug Abuse
http://www.nida.nih.gov
* National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence
800/622-2255
http://www.ncadd.org
* American Psychiatric Association
http://www.psych.org