Open AccessLong-Term Agonist and Antagonist Therapy for Adolescent Opioid Dependence: A Description of Two Cases
Author(s) -
Rajeev Ranjan,
Raman Deep Pattanayak,
Anju Dhawan
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
indian journal of psychological medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.417
H-Index - 24
eISSN - 0975-1564
pISSN - 0253-7176
DOI - 10.4103/0253-7176.140754
Subject(s) - buprenorphine , naltrexone , medicine , opioid , heroin , antagonist , agonist , narcotic antagonists , (+) naloxone , opioid antagonist , abstinence , psychology , anesthesia , psychiatry , drug , receptor
Adolescents constitute only a small percentage of treatment seekers in drug dependence treatment settings. Little research evidence is available for pharmacological treatment of adolescent opioid dependence and no prior case report is available from India. We discuss two adolescent patients with opioid (heroin) dependence visiting a tertiary care center who have been stabilized on agonist (sublingual buprenorphine-naloxone) and antagonist (oral naltrexone) respectively for a substantial period of time. A comprehensive management approach, including intensive psychosocial interventions and family involvement, was followed in addition to pharmacotherapies. More research is needed on the efficacy of pharmacological treatment in adolescent opioid users.