TY - JOUR
AU - E. Krupitsky
AU - E. Zvartau
AU - G. Woody
A1 - 
AB - Opioid dependence is one of the most severe drug dependencies. Naltrexone is a medication that completely blocks the subjective and other effects of opioids and, when administered to detoxified opioid addicts and taken as directed, prevents relapse and helps maintain abstinence. The major problem with naltrexone is poor compliance, particularly in countries in which there is a treatment alternative based on substitution of illicit opioids such as heroin with orally administered opioid agonists (methadone) or partial agonist/antagonists (buprenorphine). In Russia, substitution therapy is forbidden by law, and naltrexone is the only available pharmacotherapy for heroin dependence. Due to the lack of alternatives to naltrexone and stronger family control of compliance (adherence), naltrexone is more effective for relapse prevention and abstinence stabilization in Russia than in Western countries. Long-acting, sustained-release formulations (injectable and implantable) seem particularly effective compared with oral formulations. This article summarizes the results of studies conducted in Russia during the past 10 years that demonstrate these points.
BT - Current psychiatry reports
C5 - Opioids & Substance Use
CP - 5
DO - 10.1007/s11920-010-0135-5
IS - 5
JF - Current psychiatry reports
N2 - Opioid dependence is one of the most severe drug dependencies. Naltrexone is a medication that completely blocks the subjective and other effects of opioids and, when administered to detoxified opioid addicts and taken as directed, prevents relapse and helps maintain abstinence. The major problem with naltrexone is poor compliance, particularly in countries in which there is a treatment alternative based on substitution of illicit opioids such as heroin with orally administered opioid agonists (methadone) or partial agonist/antagonists (buprenorphine). In Russia, substitution therapy is forbidden by law, and naltrexone is the only available pharmacotherapy for heroin dependence. Due to the lack of alternatives to naltrexone and stronger family control of compliance (adherence), naltrexone is more effective for relapse prevention and abstinence stabilization in Russia than in Western countries. Long-acting, sustained-release formulations (injectable and implantable) seem particularly effective compared with oral formulations. This article summarizes the results of studies conducted in Russia during the past 10 years that demonstrate these points.
PY - 2010
SP - 448
EP - 453
EP - 
T1 - Use of Naltrexone to Treat Opioid Addiction in a Country in Which Methadone and Buprenorphine Are Not Available
T2 - Current psychiatry reports
TI - Use of Naltrexone to Treat Opioid Addiction in a Country in Which Methadone and Buprenorphine Are Not Available
U1 - Opioids & Substance Use
U2 - 20640538
U3 - 10.1007/s11920-010-0135-5
VL - 12
Y1 - 2010
ER -