Addiction biology
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Early relapse is common after opiate withdrawal and deprives addicts of important opportunities to develop new, opiate-free cognitive-behavioural habits. The oral opiate antagonist naltrexone (NTX) significantly reduces relapse only when rigorously supervised and/or probation-linked. Simple but effective NTX implants, containing 1G NTX and giving an average blockade of 6 - 7 weeks, have been available since 1997. ⋯ Troublesome tissue reactions were infrequent. Improvements in implant technology and duration are already occurring. We stress that implants strengthen rather than replace the therapeutic alliance.