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P.O. Box 10145 Danville, VA 24543
The History of Heroin
Following severe morphine and opium addiction stemming from the Civil War, Bayer introduced heroin as a commercial remedy and cough suppressant in 1898. It was legally and widely prescribed—even to veterans residing in Virginia's National Homes—before its severe, highly addictive nature was fully understood.
Following federal legislation like the 1914 Harrison Narcotics Act and the 1924 Heroin Act, the drug was strictly prohibited, driving the trade entirely underground.
Heroin resurged in urban population centers. In Virginia, it was primarily distributed by diverse criminal groups operating street-level and midlevel networks in metropolitan areas like Richmond and Norfolk.
Withdrawal- Symptoms- Treatment
When people addicted to opioids like heroin first quit, they undergo withdrawal symptoms (pain, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting), which may be severe. Medications can be helpful in this detoxification stage to ease craving and other physical symptoms that can often prompt a person to relapse.
The FDA approved lofexidine, a non-opioid medicine designed to reduce opioid withdrawal symptoms. While not a treatment for addiction itself, detoxification is a useful first step when it is followed by some form of evidence-based treatment.
- Methadone (Dolophine® or Methadose®) is a slow-acting opioid agonist. Methadone is taken orally so that it reaches the brain slowly, dampening the "high" that occurs with other routes of administration while preventing withdrawal symptoms.
- Buprenorphine (Subutex®) is a partial opioid agonist. Buprenorphine relieves drug cravings without producing the "high" or dangerous side effects of other opioids. Suboxone® is a novel formulation of buprenorphine that is taken orally or sublingually and contains naloxone (an opioid antagonist) to prevent attempts to get high by injecting the medication. If a person with a heroin use disorder were to inject Suboxone, the naloxone would induce withdrawal symptoms, which are averted when taken orally as prescribed.
- Naltrexone (Vivitrol®) is an opioid antagonist. Naltrexone blocks the action of opioids, is not addictive or sedating, and does not result in physical dependence; however, patients often have trouble complying with the treatment, and this has limited its effectiveness.