Treating Drug Addicts with Heroin Better than Giving Them Methadone

The safest and most effective treatment for hard-core heroin addicts who fail to control their habit using methadone or other treatments may be their drug of choice, in prescription form, researchers are reporting after the first rigorous test of the approach performed in North America , New York Times reports.

Photo: Treating Drug Addicts with Heroin Better than Giving Them Methadone

Meanwhile, results of a new study show that treating drug addicts with heroin is better than giving them methadone.

Generally when addicts are trying to kick the habit, they are given methadone but according to scientists with the North American Opiate Medication Initiative heroin maybe the way to go.

In the study, they selected up to 251 drug addicts for the Canadian study, with some receiving heroin, others receiving methadone and some receiving hydromorphone , dBTechno reports.

However, the new findings -- published online Wednesday by the New England Journal of Medicine -- are in line with those from similar recent studies conducted in Germany, Switzerland and other European countries. But they are unlikely to have any immediate impact on treatment in the U.S. since heroin is an illegal drug with no federally approved medical uses , Wall Street Journal reports.