Lawmakers are considering state funding for a heroin detox program that utilizes cutting edge technology to block nerves sending pain signals and cravings to the brain.
Indiana State Sen. Jim Merritt introduced legislation to fund an approach called the Bridge Program to aid recovering addicts, with a focus on heroin. The current opioid epidemic is sparking sharp increases in heroin deaths in states throughout the country; officials are struggling to find new ways to combat the crisis. The Bridge Program is based around a electronic device manufactured by Innovative Health Solutions called a Bridge, which is inserted behind the ear by a doctor for five days to accelerate the withdrawal process, reports WISH.
“The device, it targets cranial nerves that block part of the brain that fire these pain signals,” Brian Carrico, vice president for sales with Innovative Health Solutions, told WISH.
The device is already in use in Johnson County through the Greenwood Recovery Court, but officials say they need federal and state funding to sustain the program passed six months. Using the device for addiction recovery through a state court marks a first for the U.S. criminal justice system. The Bridge costs $500 and the medical operation to implant it is an additional $150.
Merritt says officials in 20 counties are interested in using the Bridge in addiction recovery programs.
“It’s something that it’s [sic] time has come,” Merritt told WISH. “I always say this is an illness. It’s not a character flaw. This is a healthcare problem. This is not a law enforcement problem.”
The device will be just one aspect of a months long program to manage heroin withdrawal and additional cravings. After using the device over the initial five days of withdrawal, patients will take Vivitrol, which blocks opiate receptors in the brain. A constant release of dopamine interacting with opioid receptors associates happy feelings in an addict with their drug abuse.
“They go through a psychosocial treatment program usually lasting 16-26 weeks,” Gregory told WISH. “That is where the real work is done to get the people away from the drug.”
Addiction recovery experts says one of the chief problems currently plaguing recovering addicts is a lack of information about how long cravings last. Many rehabilitation programs only require 30 days. They argue it takes anywhere from four months to a year for the brain to return to near-normal functioning.
The U.S. suffered the deadliest year on record for fatal drug overdoses, which claimed 52,404 lives in 2015, and that figure is expected to rise in the years ahead.
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