title: A 50-year-old woman addicted to heroin: review of treatment of heroin addiction.
abstract: Heroin addiction is a complicated medical and psychiatric issue, with well-established as well as newer modes of treatment. The case of Ms W, a 50-year-old woman with a long history of opiate addiction who has been treated successfully with methadone for 9 years and who now would like to consider newer alternatives, illustrates the complex issues of heroin addiction. The treatment of heroin addiction as a chronic disease is reviewed, including social, medical, and cultural issues and pharmacologic treatment with methadone and the more experimental medication options of buprenorphine and naltrexone.
authors.affiliation: VA Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, and Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104-6178, USA. obrien@mail.trc.upenn.edu
authors.forename: Charles P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: O'Brien
mesh_terms: D002047:Buprenorphine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D008691:Methadone / Q000266:history / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009271:Naltrexone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009294:Narcotics / Q000266:history / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000266:history; D012008:Recurrence; D012657:Self-Help Groups; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D009292:Narcotic Antagonists; D009294:Narcotics; D002047:Buprenorphine; D009271:Naltrexone; D008691:Methadone