How Is Heroin Withdrawal Treated?
Doctors have found that when treating heroin addicts it is often best to use medication along with support services. This is because the attachment to heroin is so strong it causes many relapses. The medication-and-support approach helps with the intense withdrawal symptoms as well as stopping the use of heroin and returning former addicts to stable and productive lives, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Medications that doctors might begin with include clonidine and buprenorphine to minimize the initial physical symptoms of withdrawal. But for drug addictions as serious as heroin use, the process does not end with detoxification. It moves on to the next step of preventing a relapse, an unfortunate recurrence for many heroin addicts. Behavioral treatments to go along with medication programs are often done in outpatient services. Patients go through counseling and learn techniques to cope with stress and understand new ways to resume healthy living following their peri
