Which of the following drug is NOT used in the treatment of heroin dependence?
Disulfiram is used in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal. It acts by blocking aldehyde dehydrogenase the second step in ethanol metabolism resulting in the accumulation of acetaldehyde which produces an unpleasant flushing reaction when alcohol is ingested. The two drugs used to slowly withdraw patients from from opioid use are methadone and clonidine. The pharmacologic propeies of buprenorphine due to which it is used in the treatment of opioid dependence are: Paial agonist characters High affinity to opioid receptor Long half life and slow elimination High safety profile Ref: Drugs of Abuse and Addiction: Neurobehavioral Toxicology edited by Raymundus Johannes Mari page 277, O'Brien C.P. (2011). Chapter 24. Drug Addiction. In L.L. Brunton, B.A. Chabner, B.C. Knollmann (Eds), Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 12e.
Disulfiram
Buprenorphine
Methadone
Clonidine