Herbal medicines for the management of opioid addiction: safe and effective alternatives to conventional pharmacotherapy
Authors
Ward, JeanineRosenbaum, Christopher D.
Hernon, Christina
McCurdy, Christopher R.
Boyer, Edward W.
Student Authors
Jeanine WardUMass Chan Affiliations
Department of Emergency Medicine, Division of Medical ToxicologyDocument Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2011-12-01Keywords
Analgesics, Opioid; Animals; Behavior, Addictive; Drugs, Chinese Herbal; use; Humans; Plant Preparations; use; Substance-Related DisordersEmergency Medicine
Medical Toxicology
Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Striking increases in the abuse of opioids have expanded the need for pharmacotherapeutic interventions. The obstacles that confront effective treatment of opioid addiction - shortage of treatment professionals, stigma associated with treatment and the ability to maintain abstinence - have led to increased interest in alternative treatment strategies among both treatment providers and patients alike. Herbal products for opioid addiction and withdrawal, such as kratom and specific Chinese herbal medications such as WeiniCom, can complement existing treatments. Unfortunately, herbal treatments, while offering some advantages over existing evidence-based pharmacotherapies, have poorly described pharmacokinetics, a lack of supportive data derived from well controlled clinical trials, and severe toxicity, the cause for which remains poorly defined. Herbal products, therefore, require greater additional testing in rigorous clinical trials before they can expect widespread acceptance in the management of opioid addiction.Source
CNS Drugs. 2011 Dec 1;25(12):999-1007. doi: 10.2165/11596830-000000000-00000. Link to article on publisher's siteDOI
10.2165/11596830-000000000-00000Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/33284PubMed ID
22133323Related Resources
Link to Article in PubMedae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.2165/11596830-000000000-00000