What Are the Different Types of Opioid Dependence Treatment?

Opioid dependence refers to a medical condition in which a person uses opiates to perform in daily life as well as to avoid the painful sickness associated with abrupt withdrawal. There are several available options for opioid dependence treatment, however most require use of yet other drugs, some of them also opioids, to aid in the process of detoxification. Medications such as methadone and bruprenorphine can lessen uncomfortable effects or may assist in cutting down the duration of withdrawal. Inducing an accelerated effect by which withdrawal takes place very quickly under general anesthesia, rapid detox is a rather dangerous method that has been known to cause death. Combining medical approaches with psychotherapy is necessary to prevent the re-occurrence of opioid dependence.

Pharmacologic opioid dependence treatment involves providing certain types of drugs for the purposes of weaning individuals off of opiates or inhibiting their action in the body. Even though the drug methadone is an opiate, it is significantly less potent than others such as heroin or morphine, and is therefore used as a substitute drug, permitting a gradual detox by weaning. Bruprenorphine and naltrexone act as opiate inhibitors, working to block the action of opiates on receptors, and are particularly helpful for ongoing maintenance and withdrawal symptom control. Clonidine is another drug used to help to alleviate symptoms.

​Frequently referred to as a rapid detox, opioid dependence treatment in this instance occurs while the individual is administered general anesthesia or sedatives. He or she is also given heavy dosages of drugs that work to cause withdrawal while providing other medications to decrease the occurrence of withdrawal effects. While the procedure is designed to produce detox over a very short period of time, rapid treatment of this sort is not recommended, as it has resulted in death and has not been found to produce better results when compared with other methods.

​Despite the many drugs available for opioid dependence treatment, some people do decide to opt out of their use for the "cold turkey" approach, quitting intake of opioids completely without medical treatment of any kind. Although usually not a survival threat unless other medical problems exist, it is particularly intense for individuals to endure due to painful symptoms of withdrawal commonly associated with opioid detox. Reported by some to last anywhere from 8-10 days, manifestations include constant vomiting, muscular pain, and diarrhea.

Nonpharmacologic continued psychosocial assistance in the form of support groups and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is important for successful opioid dependence treatment. A 12-step program, Narcotics Anonymous (NA), is a supportive network of people in groups spanning the entire world offering continued help and motivation for people in their quest to stay sober. Cognitive behavioral therapy, one of the most common forms of psychotherapeutic treatment used for drug addiction, involves exposure and correction of ineffective approaches to coping and distortions in perspective.