Naltrexone Implant Therapy: An Australian Solution to Drug Addiction

Of all the therapies available for the treatment of drug addiction, specifically heroin, methadone is perhaps the most widely known and used medication globally. However, is it the safest and most effective treatment?

Methadone is used because its properties are very similar to heroin; it is an opiates agonist. Addicts are offered oral medication in gradually decreasing doses and then maintained on a low dose for long periods of time and in many cases indefinitely. While this system of managing the addiction with low doses of opiates may seem safe there are many deaths associated with this therapy. The main reason for failure is that the individual's tolerance to opiates is reduced. Although this may also sound like a good idea, a problem arises when they relapse to heroin. Even one shot of their previous dose is enough to cause overdose and death due to their reduced tolerance. The relapse to heroin rate is very high since the addiction is always present and in fact maintained by methadone. Sufferers of physiological addiction to opiates, whether this is heroin or methadone, are continually at risk of death. Methadone effectively traps the addict within their addiction which becomes steadily worse since the opiates receptors in the body are exposed to further damage by this drug.

Naltrexone on the other hand is not similar to heroin but quite the opposite; it is an opiates antagonist. This unique drug has the ability to completely remove cravings for opiates and reverses physiological addiction. Gradually, the damaged opiates receptors in the body are repaired by naltrexone meaning that the physiological addiction is being actively treated. Furthermore, any subsequent attempt at relapse to heroin has absolutely no effect. An individual cannot receive any high from heroin and therefore the attraction to opiates is removed.

These properties have been known widely and naltrexone has been used, or rather misused, since the 1970's. Problems with oral forms have occurred because it is difficult to ensure that an individual will remember or be willing to take a tablet every day. Relapses were common and problematic since haphazard administration of heroin and naltrexone can lead to severe and dangerous withdrawal. Therefore naltrexone was avoided as a treatment of choice. An alternative delivery system was needed before treatment with naltrexone could be resumed safely.

Perth obstetrician and gynaecologist, Dr George O'Neil, has been inventing efficient drug delivery systems for many years. Today he manufactures a naltrexone implant which is placed under the skin and provides a safe, stable long term delivery system for the treatment of opiates addiction. A controlled release mechanism means that the individual can receive a safe and reliable daily dose of naltrexone while recovering from opiates addiction. Currently an implant will provide protection for up to six months. However a longer acting version is also under development.

The implant is being made available globally; however some inferior products manufactured outside of Australia are also available on the market. These inferior and cheaper products have been problematic and resulted in several deaths. The O'Neil implant is the only product on the market which has proven to be 100% safe.

Further information: http://www.freshstart.org.au/

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