Heroin Detox

The first step in treating heroin addiction is physical detox. Medicated detoxification is necessary if an individual has developed a physical dependency. Detox is the process of eliminating all traces of heroin from the body and breaking physical dependency. This is usually achieved by replacing heroin with a longer acting opioid such as methadone or Subutex. These drugs replace the peaks and troughs of heroin intoxication and withdrawal with a steady level of opiate drug and do not deliver a high. Over time, the dosage of this replacement drug is gradually decreased until the person is drug free. Sometimes a medicine called lofexidine is used, as an alternative to methadone or Subutex. Lofexidine suppresses withdrawal symptoms in the body, but does not act to reduce craving (a brain mechanism). As lofexidine is not addictive (whereas methadone and Subutex may be, it is sometimes preferred. Other medicines may also be prescribed to help with specific symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea and sleeplessness.