OBJECTIVE To compare outcomes, costs and incremental cost-effectiveness of heroin detoxification performed in a specialist clinic and in general practice. DESIGN AND SETTING Randomised controlled trial set in a specialist outpatient drug treatment centre and six office-based general practices in inner city Sydney, Australia. PARTICIPANTS 115 people seeking treatment for heroin dependence, o...

Background: Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) agonists have been effective in the treatment of withdrawal from benzodiazepines, sedatives and alcohol, and reducing the craving for cocaine. Valproate is a GABAergic drug effective in the treatment of neuropathic pain and also in withdrawal from benzodiaepines, sedatives, and alcohol. The purpose of this double-blind trial was to evaluate the ef...

Opioid abuse and addiction have increased in frequency in the United States over the past 20 years. In 2009, an estimated 5.3 million persons used opioid medications nonmedically within the past month, 200000 used heroin, and approximately 9.6% of African Americans used an illicit drug. Racial and ethnic minorities experience disparities in availability and access to mental health care, includi...

Recent concern regarding the impact of maternal drug abuse on neonatal well being was the impetus for this retrospective cohort study of newborns diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome that were discharged from Cabell Huntington Hospital during the calendar year 2005. Medical records of the neonates and their mothers were analyzed for a variety of health related outcomes and healthcare cos...

Guidance for the use of substitute prescribing in the treatment of opioid dependence in primary care Acknowledgements: Thanks to the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Regional Leads and the many others, who have contributed to developing this guide. a) These guidelines have been: Updated in line with Guidance on methadone and buprenorphine for the management of opioid dependence and...

Vietnam is among the countries with the highest rate of HIV transmission through injecting drug users. HIV prevalence among injecting drug users is 20% and up to 50% in many provinces. An estimated number of drug users in the country by the end of 2011 were 171,000 in which the most common is heroin (85%). Detoxification at home, community, and in rehabilitation centers have been the main modal...