Des-Gly9-[Arg8]-vasopressin may facilitate methadone detoxification of heroin addicts

Mild to moderate heroin addicts started on ambulatory detoxification with methadone were sublingually treated with placebo or desglycinamide9-arginine8-vasopressin (DGAVP, 1 mg/day) for 5 days using a double-blind design. Treatment with DGAVP (6 patients) led to a longer time course of clinic attendance and resulted in a higher percentage of successful detoxifications as compared to placebo treatment (6 patients). The analyses of urine samples revealed that DGAVP treatment decreased the use of heroin and cocaine below that with placebo treatment. The medical attendant judged DGAVP treatment superior to placebo treatment. It is concluded that treatment with DGAVP during the initial phase of methadone detoxification of heroin addicts may facilitate detoxification. This beneficial effect of DGAVP is consistent with animal data showing that this peptide may attenuate the reinforcing qualities of heroin.