[Withdrawal and management of opiate addicts]

The first goal of addiction treatment is to enable the patient to withdraw in a medically controlled environment. Medically assisted withdrawal is a specific treatment of pharmacological dependence. Different methods of treatment are used, specific and non-specific. Clonidine and transcutaneous electrostimulation with Limoge current are the only relatively specific treatment modalities. However, whichever method is used, relapse is frequent and patients are not easily admitted for treatment. Noteworthy is the fact that anticipatory anxiety is a major predictor of treatment compliance and should be looked for. The goal for the best detoxification treatment should give way to opiate agonist maintenance treatment when relapse is too frequent.