Heroin/Opiate Addiction & Buprenorphine
author: Musikman
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Many people addicted to opiates want a better alternative to methadone, yet so little information about buprenorphine is available, especially firt-hand experience. Here is some personal data that may be helpful to those who need it.
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With all the political & media attention focused on "crystal meth" & its destructive nature, one might think that opiate addiction is a thing of the past. Remember when Portland was considered the "black-tar" capital of the country in the mid-'90's? Did the problem of heroin addiction just fade away? Perhaps all the junkies have OD'd, are in jail, on methadone or moved to Thailand. The truth of the matter, however, has more to do with the "dirty secret" of addiction & the stigma of heroin than with any real attempt to treat the disease of substance abuse.
When asked about the problem of drug addiction, many people have no compassion for what they believe to be deviate behavior, weakness of will or character. Yet we live in a society, a "pharma-culture", that encourages taking something for whatever ails you. Depressed? Take a Zoloft. Too fat? Take a diet pill. Can't sleep? Take an Ambien. Can't focus because of attention-deficit disorder? Take an Adderall. In pain? Take an OxyContin. Dick won't stay hard? Take a Viagara. Whatever the problem, there is a pill you can take to make it better. However, for many people who have problems much worse than chronic heartburn or high blood-pressure, the drug companies seemingly ignored the ever-growing population of people strung-out on opiates. Afterall, methadone is the panacea for junkies, right? Yeah, right.
Opiate addiction is an affliction that knows no boundaries. It can affect anyone from the business executive, housewife, movie star, athlete, radio personality, car salesman, musician or -- as the Oregonian reported today, a Clackamas County sheriff's deputy, charged with armed robbery of a pharmacy & possibly involved with robberies of a second pharmacy, a bank and a payday loan office. He apparently was prescribed OxyContin for a bout with cancer & a broken hip & became dependant upon the painkillers. If there had been more treatment options available, perhaps he would not be lodged in the Tillamook County Jail with a $1 million bail. There is a relatively new treatment now available -- a pill, no less -- that offers hope to many who want out of the cycle of addiction & the lifestyle that accompanies it.
"Buprenorphine" has been used in Europe for a decade with much success & was finally given FDA approval in the US in 2003. It's use is still quite restricted but it is available for prescription in Oregon through licensed physicians. It is NOT a cure, as some assert, but is the best alternative to the methadone clinics or the detox centers, neither of which have a high success rate.
I became aware of burprenorphine in 1999 from an article in a magazine. As someone with a 20-yr habit, I had tried everything from herbal remedies, methadone, sedatives, cold-turkey, etc. to no avail -- until June 2003 when I inquired about it to my physician. He knew nothing about it, like most doctors, but had a colleague at OHSU who might know more. That is how I came to be "patient X", the first to be treated in Portland with buprenorphine. Dr. Joshua Boverman interviewed me, decided I would be a good candidate for this treatment, & the rest, as they say, is history.
It's been 2 yrs 8 months & I would say it has been very successful. Being able to get a prescription for 1 month & taking 2 pills daily allows me to live a fairly normal existence. I can travel without fear of withdrawal or arrest. It is not without some side-effects but they are minor compared to the alternatives. Contrary to what some have said, buprenorphine IS addictive -- it still is an opiate, after all -- but unlike methadone, it leaves the body more quickly & is easier to ween the dosage & the withdrawal is much less severe.
I wish we lived in a world where one needn't have to take a pill for anything. But that's not the reality of 21st century mankind. For those kindred addicts who feel your situation is hopeless, talk to a doctor about trying buprenorphine. The more people who know about it, perhaps the scourge of opiate addiction can become something manageable & the "quiet desperation" of the addictive cycle can be stopped. Good luck.
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