Hi,

my partner has got an opportunity to do a detox at somewhere like detox 5, with family members paying. Thing is, I had given the imnpression that it cost around £1,500. Have found that they have put their prices up substanbtially in the past year or so. Are there any other similar clinics (a little cheaper preferably) that offer a sedated detox, with naltrexone (implants preferably)?

Thank you in advance

Detox 5 don't do implants. There is a place on the Isle of Wight that does (I think its the only palce at the moment that does- called 'lifeback'), but that just does an ordinary detox. The prices are roughly similar. The Stapleford clinic used to do this but I don't think they do any more. I don't think you'll get anything much cheaper in the private sector. Also I think its more thn £1500.

There is huge variation around the country, and I don't know what goes on in east anglia, but the politicians keep going on about the need to avoid post code lotteries so it should be that a variety of types of detox should be available to your partner for free on the good old NHS.

Waiting times are reducing and although there may seem to be a daunting number of hoops to jump through, sometimes those are actually helpful in making a detox more likely to be safe, and to stick. You will be aware that the time after a detox can be life threatenning, and certainly more dangerous than taking a steady dose of opiates each day. Tolerance to opiates reduces very quickly, and a relapse to old doses is a common and always tragic cause of death after detox.

It's more likely to work if your partner has made careful plans for changes to life style and other habits as well as just getting rid of the opiates. Of course its not easy, any more than giving up nicotine, or biting finger nails is easy, and in the same way, it is normal to need more than one go at it before finally wriggling free. This can cause family tensions, if money is being raised from family members. Sometimes its better to be a bit patient and get it sorted out through the system, to avoid the family debt.

As far as naltrexone goes, I have seen good results from implants, if the person is ready for one, but I would suggest it is better to try the oral form for a while first, to make sure tha any sure effects are minimal and tolerable, before going to the expense of an implant, though a trip to the Isle of Wight sounds enticing. The last time I was there was to see Jimi Hendrix ..was it 1970?

Your partner's families' money might be better saved for rainy days in the future, or for nice holidays in the sun.

i think people want to beleive that there is such a thing as a quick fix (no joke intended) when it comes to getting off drugs.

Personaly, i think its a set of very complex factors that cannot be "cured" by spending a lot of money on things like implants, UROD etc.

In my humble opinion, getting off drugs is fairly easy - a reduction with subutex is probaly the most painless and quickest way - i managed it in 21 days (this was after 10years on massive doses of methadone). Unfortunately, as many ppl find out getting off drugs is the easy part - staying off them the hard part. Enter the naltrexone implant:

I know of 4 ppl personaly who have had these and it worked for all of 3 weeks in one of the ppl and less among the other 3. One sadly died as he took too much heroin to try and overcome the blockade.

I would steer clear of anything that offers quick solutions at high prices and like Judith says keep the money for something better.

If the naltrexone path is the one most sort after why doesnt someone close monitor the intake of the tablets? = same results as an implant but a lot cheaper!

Also, very rarely talked about is something that affects myself, is that methadone and probaly the same with heroin (didnt use this as much so i dont know) can cure a lot of things in their own right. When i came off i had hypomania for months and months until i went back on methadone. I am going to try again to see if this is actually a trait or due to coming off the methadone. However, my mother suffers from this a little too -and she certainly doesnt take any drug to cure it, perish the thought.

Drew,thanks for the insights you always give on how treatment affects people. The OD risk for naltrexone implants is known, but this is the first actual case I am aware of.

I agree totally that prescribed treatments of any kind are never enough on their own, lots of other factors need to be worked on to achieve a drug-free state that is still worth living from the patients perspective.

Naltrexone tablets can be supervised by a relative or partner and can then help re-establish trust in the family that the client is not going to go off and use and that they are truly opiate-free. However it does not stop you using other drugs excessively, (typically alcohol or benzos). I had client's partner tell him she wasn't going to give him the tablets every day but would put one in his tea if she suspected he had been using, not ethical but probably very effective.

A prescription can be just part of the answer, it is difficult without a script, but a script on its own won't do it.

We have been doing implants at our clinic for some years now, on the lovely Isle of Wight and we do offer detoxes too.
However the assessment criteria is very strict and motivation to change is the key aspect along with a supporting person who must attend the appointment.
Only today I turned a patient down who had travelled a long distance because I felt they were more suited to maintainence rather than abstinence.
Its a treatment option, God knows there are so few in addiction medicine, and shouldnt be dismissed without asking questions and finding out facts which I would be happy to provide to anyone interested in finding out more.
jenny@sudell.net

we have a client who has just had his second six month implant inserted privately (about £1400) he is still sitting around with all his mates who are smoking heroin and is drinking 9% brews every day.

unless he actually wants to make some changes in his life its really a waste of his mothers money and he is going to relapse as soon as she gets tired of paying for him.

unfortunatly he is looking for a quick fix. Detox 5 is also a rather expensive option and will not work unless the aftercare is there to support as has been said. I know someone who it worked for and a few who it didn't but persoanlly feel the harder you work to come off the better you value your clean time and the greater your chances. like life really.

a bit confused by this Cliff. Detox5 do not do implants if this is what you are talking about. I know only 3 practitioners who do, all GPs and all doing it privately at the moment. £1400 seems about the going rate as the actual implant itself costs about £800 for them to buy in the first place.

What detox 5 do is a rapid sedation detox. They will also often initiate naltrexone tablets. They try to ensure everyone has arranged an aftercare package, but as you can imagine its difficult to ascetain this. However if this person is already on an implant they won't need detox 5's services.

They could go to India and do the Ghet detox, which lasted six days and finishes with a day of convulsing, it works for one of my mates.