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2006-11-13 Britain
Prisoners poised to win payouts for 'cold turkey' drug treatment
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Posted by tipper 2006-11-13 00:21|| || Front Page|| [1 views since 2007-05-07]  Top

#1 This is total idiocy and that's coming from somebody who thinks all substances should be de-criminalised (but being high in public should be illegal).
Posted by Bright Pebbles in Blairistan 2006-11-13 06:59||   2006-11-13 06:59|| Front Page Top

#2 Actually, heroin withdrawl is *rarely* fatal, usually in individuals who are already in poor health, or by those who choke on their vomit.

Heroin addiction is ugly from several directions.

Withdrawal is sometimes used by the police to coerce information and confessions, and profiteering from methadone providers can be pretty grotesque, with profits sometimes exceeding 95% of the cost of the drug.

Ironically, an effective technique for "painless and effective" withdrawal and cessation was invented at least a decade ago. Three drugs were used: to induce coma, to deplete heroin from the body, and to block its effects. After four days of coma, they wake up drug free, needing only twice months injections of druck blocker for six months to end their addiction. In Europe it seemed to show great prospects.

It was bitterly opposed by the operators of methadone clinics, who are in essence drug dealers, trading one addiction for another. They successfully prevented even experimental trials in the US.

They used as excuse that about 1 in 1000 junkies would die when put into an induced coma, again due to their weakened health condition. Therefore, the procedure was "not safe."
Posted by Anonymoose 2006-11-13 08:23||   2006-11-13 08:23|| Front Page Top

#3 Anonymoose

Surely the person who should be deciding should be the Addict with the advice of his doctor?
Posted by Bright Pebbles in Blairistan 2006-11-13 10:37||   2006-11-13 10:37|| Front Page Top

#4 What's the death rate among practicing junkies?
A hell of a lot more than 1 in 1000 I should think.
Posted by bigjim-ky 2006-11-13 11:23||   2006-11-13 11:23|| Front Page Top

#5 Moose, I worked for a while in a detox unit. Standard therapy for heroin withdrawal is 1) lomotil to stop the diarrhea 2) clonidine to stop the withdrawal symptoms and 3) a beta-blocker (e.g., propranolol) to fix the sympathetic neural responses. Inducing coma is not required.

The three drugs together manage acute withdrawal very well; you then get going on the methadone and group therapy.
Posted by Steve White">Steve White  2006-11-13 16:16||   2006-11-13 16:16|| Front Page Top

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