Methadone Substitute Helps Individuals Change
Lifestyles
With physicians now able to prescribe buprenorphine, an alternative
to methadone, from their office, individuals addicted to heroin
are finding it much easier to return to a non-drug-dependent life,
the New Bedford Standard-Times reported June 16.
"I've been on it about four weeks, and I feel like I've been
let out of jail," said a sculptor from Provincetown, Mass.,
who said buprenorphine has enabled her to return to work and renew
relationships with her family. "Can you imagine how much this
is going to change the world? I think it can really revolutionize
the detox field."
Unlike methadone, which is dispensed in liquid form at a clinic,
buprenorphine is a pill that is dispensed through a prescription
from a physician. This makes it easier on addicted individuals because
they're not burdened with having to go to a clinic daily to receive
treatment.
The prescribed treatment also enables recovering addicts to become
contributing members of the community. Sheryl, who asked that her
last name not be used, started on buprenorphine six weeks ago. Instead
of spending all her money on heroin like before, she was able to
get a job and earn money to pay her unpaid excise taxes and get
her driver's license reinstated.
|
