New Treatment Program Focuses on Buprenorphine to Treat Opioid Addiction
A new treatment program has been designed by the National Institute on Drug Abuse to help young adults overcome an addiction to opioid drugs.
According to a report in UPI, the new treatment program, Buprenorphine Treatment for Young Adults, is based on research that shows young adults given longer term treatment with the medication buprenorphine were less likely to use drugs and more likely to stay in treatment.
This new program was announced in Albuquerque during a two-day NIH conference designed to bring together the latest findings in drug addiction research. Scientists involved in this research hope to be able to immediately apply these findings to the needs of patients and their families.
The new treatment product, Buprenorphine Treatment for Young Adults, is based on research that suggests young adults given longer term treatment with the medication buprenorphine were less likely to use drugs and more likely to stay in treatment, compared to those who received short-term detoxification without follow-up medication.
"Buprenorphine (which helps relieve drug cravings) had been proven effective with adults but, until recently, evidence was lacking that its anti-addiction properties would work in this important group of younger patients," Dr. Nora Volkow, the NIDA director, said.
"The new product includes a three-hour training package that examines opioid use among young adults and looks at research results showing the effectiveness of buprenorphine for this age group."
The NIH noted that its Albuquerque conference is attended by more than 1,300 addiction treatment specialists, healthcare providers, criminal justice professionals, researchers and policymakers.