Recovery
HelpdeskRecovery Helpdesk is a place to find information about addiction to heroin or other opiate/opioid drugs, and how to build a safe and stable recovery.
Opioids include oxycodone (Oxycontin, Percodan, Percocet), heroin, morphine, codeine, hydrocodone (Vicodin), hydromorphone (Dilaudid), fentanyl, methadone and buprenorphine (Subutex, Suboxone).
The Puritans of Sobertown
A Call From A Rehab I got a call from a patient at a residential drug treatment center today. He had been using Opana pretty heavily, and decided to go to rehab to get his life back on track. He had broken up with his girlfriend, and his little girl was staying with his mother. They’ve been giving me a ... Read More
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Naloxone: The Cheap, Harmless Drug That Can Reverse A Heroin Overdose In Progress (Get Yours Now!)
Naloxone is an inexpensive medication (about $1 per dose) that can be safely administered by anybody who is present when somebody is experiencing an overdose caused by taking too much heroin or prescription pain pills. Naloxone blocks the opiate receptor sites in the brain and reverses the overdose. Watch this video to learn more:
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Parents Of Addicts Faced With Tough Choices, Over And Over
In Powerlessness Most Dangerous Form of Parental Denial, I suggested that even more dangerous than a parent’s denial about the fact that their child has an addiction, is a parent’s denial that there is something they can do about it. “Exhausted, confused, sad, angry, hurting and grieving parents of addicts often come to feel powerless,” I wrote. “It’s no wonder that ... Read More
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Reality Slap!
I got a new comment on my Hitting Rock Bottom page here at Recovery Helpdesk today. “This is what I have been fighting my family about with my son,” the reader wrote. ” I do not believe the homelessness or incarceration will be the reality slap necessary.” Part of what I question is the idea that a reality slap is necessary at ... Read More
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Vivitrol: Could An Injection Before Release Prevent Prisoners From Returning?
Getting out of prison is both a relief and a challenge for most people. The adjustment isn’t always easy, especially for people who are addicted. It’s a high-risk time for relapse and fatal drug overdose. And a high-risk time for relapse to criminal behavior and re-incarceration. Researchers are injecting inmates who were addicted to heroin or prescription pain killers before ... Read More
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Suboxone Says Goodbye To The Little Orange Pill
Suboxone maker Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals Inc. confirmed recently that the company has decided to stop selling Suboxone tablets in the US. No more little orange pills. The company will continue to sell Suboxone film (small strips that dissolve under the tongue). Suboxone is a treatment for opioid dependence. Reckitt says that the change will likely happen within the next six ... Read More
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Methadone and Suboxone Best Treatment Options for Pregnant Women
Pregnant women who are addicted to heroin or prescription pain relievers should be treated with either methadone or buprenorphine (Suboxone, Subutex). This according to new guidelines recently published by the American Academy of Pediatrics. I wasn’t surprised by the new guidelines, because similar recommendations have already been made by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization, ... Read More
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Recovery Essay Contest Winners Talk About Methadone, Naltrexone and Suboxone
Essay contest winners described their addiction recovery in their own words, and explained how medications like methadone, buprenorphine (Suboxone and Probuphine) and naltrexone (Vivitrol) helped them get sober. Over 125 people from the US and the UK entered the essay contest. The winners are: First Prize: Darlene DeMore of (Pennsylvania, USA) Darlene wrote about her methadone treatment and 14 years of recovery. When ... Read More
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HIV Infection Linked To High Drug Overdose Risk
Drug users who are infected with HIV are 74 percent more likely to experience drug overdose, a recent study suggests. Researcher Traci Green, Ph.D. says factors contributing to the increased risk may include poorer physical health, poverty and poor access to medication-assisted therapy to treat opioid dependence. Green points out that drug treatment with methadone or buprenorphine (Suboxone) has been shown to protect against fatal ... Read More
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