By LAURAN NEERGAARD
AP Medical Writer
WASHINGTON – New treatments for addiction to heroin or narcotic painkillers promise longer-lasting relief that may remove some day-to-day uncertainty of care: A once-a-month shot is now approved and a six-month implant is in the final testing phase.
The main treatment options have long been once-a-day medications – controversial methadone or a tablet named buprenorphine – that act as substitutes for the original drug, to suppress withdrawal and craving without the high.
Skipping a dose risks a relapse, but summoning the daily willpower to stick with treatment is “a formidable task,” says National Institute on Drug Abuse director Dr. Nora Volkow.