Alternatives to Methadone / Suboxone

In the book “How to Quit without Feeling Sh*t”(Published by Piatkus Books : London: 2008) Drs. Patrick Holford, David Miller and James Braly explore the use of nutrient supplements, especially Amino Acids but also vitamins, minerals and essential fats… in the treatment of addiction. Their  rationale is that drugs disrupt the production of essential brain chemicals including serotonin and dopamines. They literally mimic and effectively replace these chemical in the brain, with the result that the body stops producing them. This accounts for the withdrawals felt by addicts when they quit using . They are suffering from a lack of the natural chemicals their body would normally produce.  Treatments such as methadone and suboxone, benzodiazepines etc only compound this problem as they only replace one  addictive substance with another , further interfering with the natural  chemistry of the brain..   Amino acid supplements on the other hand naturally help the body to replace these chemicals thus relieving withdrawal effects without the major side effects of pharmaceuticals. 

 The doctors have compiled a treatment plan for each addictive substance drawing from an array of amino acids, vitamins and minerals . There are also exercise schedules and eating plans.   I myself have effectively used Tryptophan, Taurine and Glutamine, some of the supplements recommended by Drs Holford et al for the overcoming of heroin addiction…. I could not afford to follow the full regime as the supplements are rather pricey. I found them to be remarkably effective at reducing the unpleasant effects of Heroin withdrawal, particularly the tryptophan (a precursor of serotonin) . Taken on its own it would ease the cramps ,cold turkey  ( hold and cold flushes—turkey skin ) and kicking ( body spasms) effects to the point where they were tolerable. In conjunction with Glutamine and Taurine it would allow me to sleep for up to four hours at a time  even on the first three nights of withdrawal when sleep is unheard of.  Granted I was taking it in dosages as high as three times (only with the Tryptophan)   the recommended dosage ( Holford et al do allow for this and claim it is relatively harmless as long as not continued for more than a few days.)  Also although they helped me get clean they didn’t  help me stay clean…. I continued to relapse even after using this method to get clean…. For that I had to find my way into the rooms of Narcotics Anonymous.  But they did start the process.

I have scoured the net looking for information on this topic and there is nothing on medical or academic  sites, no research being done. Where it is being mentioned is on Q+A and chat sites where addicts are sharing experiences. It seems that because the substances are supplements and thus not open to patenting and resulting big bucks, the pharmaceutical and medical industries are ignoring , if not actively discouraging any information on this topic.

Furthermore Tryptophan is not available as a supplement in the US… the only country in the world where this is the case… It was banned in the 90’s after a contaminated shipment cased people to get ill.. Coincidently (or not) the ban was announced days before the announcement of the introduction of SSRIs (prozac etc) onto the market. It has subsequently been reintroduced as a highly priced patented medication.

There is evidence that these substances work… Granted there may be some problems with them… apparently people react very differently to these substances and what may work for one person may not work for another.  But this is just as true of pharmaceuticals.  There may be side effects and dangers with taking higher dosages.  But research needs to be done… Questions need to be asked.

I would appeal to people who have personal experience and knowledge of the substances to start disseminating his information…with addicts with medical professional, researchers  .. We need to start appealing to doctors and medical researchers to look into the use of these substances.  I am not a medical person but plan to continue doing research in this area and  ask people interested in or with information in this subject to please contact me here.