Addicts Hail ‘Life-Changing’ Therapy
Two heroin addicts taking part in a new drug addiction treatment have hailed the therapy as “life changing”. The former drug users have this week been taking part in the first pilot trial of Net – Neuro-electric therapy – hailed by addiction charities as a potential alternative to methadone.
The trial involved six men who had failed to quit heroin through the methadone programme, or by cold turkey. They underwent a seven-day course of Net, which involves a tiny electric current being passed into the brain, powered by a box worn round the waist.
However, the trial was not a complete success. Two of the six men left after two days and two others were taken to hospital after experiencing fits, possibly caused by withdrawal from a separate addiction to Valium.
Nevertheless, several of the men who took part in the trial have reported that “the machine” removed their cravings after just two days of treatment. They said that the usual withdrawal symptoms – vomiting and unbearable pain – were significantly reduced, a claim verified by the medical staff and professional addiction experts who witnessed the trial.
Alan Lindsay, 37, from Irvine, had been trying to quit heroin for four years.
He said: “This has been unbelievable. My cravings have disappeared. Without this machine I wouldn’t even have been able to walk from my bed to the toilet.
“I tried the methadone programme, but it never removed my cravings. I took methadone in the morning just to make me feel good enough to go out for heroin.”
Glen Keys, 37, from Motherwell, had been on methadone for 10 years. He said: “I’m amazed by this treatment. If I wasn’t connected to this machine, I would be unable to eat or sleep. But I’ve not had any pain. I didn’t go through the withdrawals.”
Next week the pilot enters its second phase when six female addicts undergo the same course.
Neil McKeganey, of the Centre for Drug Misuse Research, at Glasgow University, said: “This pilot is an important step towards carrying out a full clinical trial.”
