This may be because the patient in pain is simply seeking relief of pain and not the rush sought by the addict. Many of the additives in street heroin may include substances that do not readily dissolve and result in clogging the blood vessels that lead to the lungs, liver, kidneys, or brain. This can cause infection or even death of small patches of cells in vital organs. Immune reactions to these or other contaminants can cause arthritis or other rheumatologic problems. A variety of effective treatments are available for heroin addiction.
Treatment tends to be more effective when heroin abuse is identified early.
The treatments that follow vary depending on the individual, but methadone, a synthetic opiate that blocks the effects of heroin and eliminates withdrawal symptoms, has a proven record of success for people addicted to heroin. The primary objective of detoxification is to relieve withdrawal symptoms while patients adjust to a drug-free state. The best documented drug-free treatments are the therapeutic community residential programs lasting at least 3 to 6 months. Methadone programs Methadone treatment has been used effectively and safely to treat opioid addiction for more than 30 years. Properly prescribed methadone is not intoxicating or sedating, and its effects do not interfere with ordinary activities such as driving a car.