There are two main forms of medication used in the heroin rehab centers of Minnesota. Methadone is the most common medication, having been used since thirty years for add treatment within the state for heroin treatment and on a national level too, but in recent years, the use of buprenorphine for heroin treatment in Minnesota has also increased emphatically.

Methadone is considered to be a very severe form of treatment. In the heroin addiction treatment in Minnesota, this substance is never provided on an outpatient basis. The dosage and usage of this drug is closely monitored because it is an opioid, just as dangerous as heroin, but is very effective in reducing the urge of heroin. Subsequently, the usage of methadone is decreased as the craving for heroin decreases. But methadone must never be stopped entirely or even reduced drastically. This reduced dosage must be decided only by a doctor qualified for substance abuse treatment in Minnesota.

Buprenorphine, on the other hand, is used for outpatient treatment in Minnesota. This drug is also highly effective in reducing the urge of heroin, and it is not as addictive itself as methadone is. What’s better is that buprenorphine does not have drastic effects when its dosage is lowered. However, it is necessary that a qualified doctor prescribes this drug too. The drug addiction treatment program in Minnesota suggests two forms of buprenorphine for heroin treatment, both FDA approved. These are Subutex, which contains pure buprenorphine, and Suboxone, which contains a mixture of buprenorphine and naloxone, a substance that can reduce the addiction for buprenorphine.