Treating an addiction to Heroin usually involves a combination of evidenced based therapies, relapse prevention, private therapy, group therapy medication and a strong willingness to make lifestyle changes. Treatments are available both through inpatient rehab and outpatient rehab centers.
Heroin is a particularly challenging drug to recover from due to the intense cravings and extremely unpleasant withdrawal symptoms that start soon after the last use. Because of the nature and severity of heroin withdrawal symptoms, starting with a medical detox provides the best chance at a successful treatment episode.
During detox physicians can prescribe medication that can minimize discomfort and help to manage withdrawal symptoms during this early stage of recovery. The full continuum of treatment and rehab for heroin includes the following:
There are many benefits to getting help from professionals, such as:
Magnified Health Systems employs a variety of therapies and treatments to help individuals overcome their addiction. Some of the treatments that we offer include:
a form of therapy based on the fundamental premise that thoughts, feelings, sensations, and behavior often interact in a feedback loop.
a holistic approach to healing is about achieving balance in body, mind, and spirit through nutrition, meditation, exercise, acupuncture, massage therapy, etc.
many people report that while attending group meetings they leave feeling more positive and feel lighter spiritually. Group therapy can be powerful for some people because it creates an atmosphere where they feel free to share their stories and experiences without judgment from others in the room.
DBT therapy is a practice of talk therapy conducted in a private setting that allows individuals to let their emotions out and address the underlying feelings they have. This is a positive form of theraphy that occurs during heroin recovery and may continue for an extended period of time.
Medication assited therapy provides pharmacological support to individuals that need it to support their sobriety in the early stages of recovery. Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) combined with other forms of therapy has proven to be extremely effective in treating substance use disoders.
This type of treatment works to provide a fully supportive and structured environment that allows someone being treated for addiction the chance to heal.Â
During this time, our staff will work with your loved ones to create an individualized treatment plan based on their needs. They will also receive counseling services as well as therapeutic activities in which they can participate when not receiving treatment.Â
We know that when you are dealing with drug or alcohol abuse, it is helpful for someone suffering from these issues to be around others in recovery. This helps reinforce positive behavior change because everyone at Magnified Health Systems is dedicated to achieving lifelong recovery for all we serve.
The above treatment therapies are just some of the options that Magnified Health Systems offers. We will sit down with your loved ones and create a unique treatment plan that is suited to their needs.
This treatment is for individuals who are diagnosed with both a substance abuse disorder and a mental illness (such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, etc.) who have a more difficult time sustaining their recovery.Â
These individuals can benefit from a Dual Diagnostic Treatment plan where they first attend an inpatient detox to safely remove the substance from their system before attending individual therapy to treat the mental health diagnosis.
Through a variety of therapies, treatments, and supportive services, we strive to help those in need achieve better health and well-being.
Dual diagnosis treatment provides the concurrent treatment that these individuals need. The need for concurrent treatment is becoming more apparent in the fact that traditional methods are not always successful in treating these disorders. Tackling both disorders at the same time is more effective.
The first step of this treatment works to detoxify the body. This takes place over some time and allows for withdrawal symptoms to be managed safely in an environment that provides medical supervision.
After completing withdrawal, those with co-occuring disorders will receive individual counseling, medication management as well as group therapy sessions. The goal of this type of individualized treatment plan is to help those affected understand and address the underlying causes of addiction. This empowers them to begin living a healthy life free from addiction and manage the effects of their coexisting disorders.
Addressing mental health issues during treatment has been recognized throughout the addiction and mental health care communities. Professionals in both fields know that the longer a person waits to address the underlying causes of addiction, the more difficult it can be to achieve lasting sobriety.
This is why we work with individuals who are struggling with addiction and/or other mental health conditions at the same time. We help them find freedom from their addictions and receive effective treatment for their mental health. Addiction is not just physical.
There are many different medications used during detox to help with symptom management including valium, trazodone, clonidine, and other medications which help to calm down individuals, address high blood pressure, sleep, restless leg syndrome, and more.
The medications which are controlled substances and help to taper from opiate withdrawal are as follows:
Buprenorphine is a partial Opiate agonist that stimulates the same Opioid receptors in the brain that are impacted by Heroin. Buprenorphine significantly reduces cravings and withdrawal symptoms and is also helpful for individuals with chronic pain.
Buprenorphine is often used during acute withdrawal to alleviate the symptoms of Opioid withdrawal; however, it is also used for medication-assisted therapy (MAT). Buprenorphine or Bupe for short is an opiate and can also be habit forming when taken for extended periods of time.
Due to the way buprenorphine is manufactured, it can not be shot, smoked, or snorted and there are no heightened effects beyond a certain dosage which makes it less easily abused than other prescription opiates.
Although stronger than Buprenorphine, Methadone essentially works in the same way. Often referred to as the brand name Dolophine, Methadone is itself an Opioid and its use is controversial because it can build up in the body if taken too often, making overdose more likely; it also has a high addictive potential.
It is sometimes used for short-term detox purposes but has been proven to be most effective for long-term medication-assisted therapy. While methadone does help to reduce cravings it also has a very long half-life and is difficult to get off of.
For this reason, many people that can afford to go to a residential rehab do not take methadone because it is more often used as part of a long-term harm reduction program than a detox aid.
Also used in treating alcoholism, Naltrexone helps prevent Heroin from working in the body by preventing it from reaching the Opioid receptors in the body. Also known as Revia or Vivitrol,
Naltrexone makes it so the body cannot feel the effects of Heroin; the individual does not achieve the euphoric effect they are looking for.
Suboxone is the combination of Buprenorphine and Naloxone. This combination not only relieves withdrawal pain but also inhibits the effects of Heroin. Suboxone has become one of the most used medications that is prescribed for heroin withdrawal.
Suboxone does come with it’s own issues though since many times individual may take larger and larger quantities of Heroin to achieve a euphoric state when they are on suboxone because it lessens the effects of heroin which can result in overdose.
There are many alternative treatments for heroin addiction that help with mindfulness and lifestyle changes. Many rehabs offer the following services to help develop healthy habits.
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction to heroin and are looking for a rehab center, please contact us for more information about our recovery programs. Making a phone call costs you nothing and it could save your life.
There are many ways to get help for your loved ones so they can begin their journey towards recovery today.
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National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2021, April 13). What are the treatments for heroin use disorder? National Institute on Drug Abuse. Retrieved December 20, 2022, from https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/heroin/what-are-treatments-heroin-use-disorder
Din, A., Li, Y. Controlling heroin addiction via age-structured modeling. Adv Differ Equ 2020, 521 (2020).
Kriegler, J., Wegener, S., Richter, F., Scherbaum, N., Brand, M., & Wegmann, E. (2019). Decision making of individuals with heroin addiction receiving opioid maintenance treatment compared to early abstinent users. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 205, 107593.
Ma, B., Mei, D., Wang, F., Liu, Y., & Zhou, W. (2019). Cognitive enhancers as a treatment for heroin relapse and addiction. Pharmacological Research, 141, 378–383.
Zhang, T., Zheng, X., Kim, K. et al. Blocking drug activation as a therapeutic strategy to attenuate acute toxicity and physiological effects of heroin. Sci Rep 8, 16762 (2018).
Medical Advice Disclaimer
Magnified Health Systems aims to improve the quality of life for people struggling with substance use or mental health disorder with fact-based content about the nature of behavioral health conditions, treatment options and their related outcomes. We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals. The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers.
Dr. Bickley graduated from U.C. Irvine with honors: Phi Beta Kappa, Golden Key International Honor Society, Cum Laude. He has been featured on national radio and print media. He is also a frequent lecturer at National Conferences. He holds an A.S. degree in Drug & Alcohol Studies, and two B.A. degrees in Criminology & Psychology, and masters and doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology. He is a licensed California Drug & Alcohol Counselor Level II, a licensed Clinical Supervisor and is certified in treating Eating Disorders.
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