The Detox Center at Pikeville Medical Center is one of only two places in southeastern Kentucky using a new drug to treat drug addictions.
Dr. John Scanlon, the Director of Addiction Services, said one of the main problems they deal with at the Detox Center is addiction to pain medications like Oxycontin, Morphine and Lorcet, but now the center has a new medication, Buphrenorphine to treat these addictions.
"It enables us to medically reduce the amount of withdrawal, drug withdrawal, and this is only for patients who have addictions to opiates," Scanlon said.
Because patients' withdrawal symptoms are reduced so quickly, other necessary treatment components can be introduced much faster.
"Now with the Buphrenorphine, while they're still in the hospital we can go ahead with their psychotherapy and group therapy," said Nell Johnson, Director of Medical Detox.
The detox team said this is essential because medication alone can't treat addiction. With any drug like Buphrenorphine, there's a chance the patient can become addicted to the treatment drug, but Scanlon said this is less likely with this medication.
"This is actually a designer drug for addiction. We have particular tools in this medication to keep it from being abused," Scanlon said.
Officials said they've seen a nearly 90 percent success with the drug.
"It is causing a lot of people to want to get into treatment because they're finding out it's not so hard, so painful on them," Johnson said.
Buphrenorphine can also be prescribed by family doctors if they've had special training.
"By bringing treatment to patients in their family doctors' offices, is really a big deal for getting folks the help they need," Scanlon said.
Doctors said one downside is that the medication is very expensive.
Scalon said he hopes in the near future more family physicians will take the training needed to prescribe Buphrenorphine. | 
