Among severely opioid‐dependent, injectable hydromorphone offers option

A study of long‐term users of street heroin in British Columbia has found that an injectable formulation of the analgesic hydromorphone was as effective as diacetylmorphine (the active ingredient in heroin) in reducing use of street heroin and positive urine tests for heroin. Given the policy barriers to wider use of diacetylmorphine, the authors of this study suggest that hydromorphone eventually might be seen as a viable alternative in the treatment of opioid dependence. Study results were published online April 6 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Source: The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update - June 21, 2016 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Addiction Treatment Source Type: research