Heroin study could change addiction treatment

News avenues have been opened into the treatment of heroin addiction, as scientists have pinpointed the cause of euphoria and intoxication after intake.

Research conducted by the Department of Drug Abuse Research at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health disputed previous beliefs that heroin addiction is a form of morphine addiction, as it is metabolised to morphine within the brain.

However, Fernando Boix and colleagues found that it is not primarily morphine, but the metabolite 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM) which causes the sense of euphoria by crossing the blood-brain barrier to cause the intoxicating effects.

He explained that it is likely that the findings will create new methods of treatment, as it suggests that it is 6-MAM rather than the heroin itself which is addictive.

"Heroin is a peculiar substance. It has a very strong effect and is one of the most addictive drugs we know. But when heroin is tested directly on brain cells, it has very little effect," Mr Boix said.

However, he suggested that vaccines against heroin addictions are unlikely to work because of the rapid conversion into 6-MAM.