I am a social worker in private practice with over 13 years’ experience in the field of addiction.
It is with great concern that I noticed an advert in this week’s local paper for Naltrexone implants.
Naltrexone is currently not a registered medication in South Africa and the implants are considered experimental in the countries where Naltrexone is used.
This means that there are severe side-effects such as extreme withdrawal and in some cases death, as casualty staff do not know how to medically assist a patient as the medication is not registered.
Naltrexone is accepted in tablet form in many countries overseas as a treatment for heroin and alcohol addiction.
However, the implant is being cited as a miracle cure for all types of addiction which is not the case.
Family members and addicts themselves are often desperate for help and will try anything which makes them vulnerable to unscrupulous people using unregistered medications as a cure-all.
There is no quick fix regarding the treatment of addiction.
The success rate is difficult to determine because it refers to a person being clean and sober from the day they abstain until the day they die, which makes statistics difficult. Recovery starts with the individual concerned and includes detoxification, therapy, family intervention and assistance, a good support structure and above all else, honesty.
