Has anyone used the Rapid Detox Center (RDD) before?

I'm just wondering.  I have no intention or desire to go through their program, but I did see it on the side of my screen while I was on the website and decided to read about it and find out what it was all about.  
They say that you go to their center, and are put under anesthesia for 1/2 an hour while they put a drug in you that immediately blocks all the opiates from the receptors in your brain.  Not sure if the are using that Narcan stuff  or
what, but they say that they are the ONLY ones who perform this procedure.  After the procedure, they recommend
that you get a Naltrexone implant which is completely non addictive nor does it cause any sort of with drawls when getting off of it.  They say that since your receptors will be free and clean of all opiates, this "Neltrexone implant" will attach itself to those receptors and block them so that you can have less cravings.  They said that it comes in a pill form, but they do not recommend that because then a person can just stop taking it and start taking opiates again, and since this medication also makes it so that if you take opiates while on it, you will get no affect whatsoever from them, they think it's best to have the implant so that you have no choice but to have the meds in your body and therefore no chance for a relapse.

Sounds pretty great right?  Now for the numbers;

They want $6700 for the procedure itself (I will bet that that number continues to go up with everything that has to get tacked on that they don't tell you about).

Then they recommend that you be on the Naltrexone for at least one year after the procedure.  The cost of that?  $400 for just 7 weeks!  

My questions are;

Is it safe?

Are they recognized by any national administration like the F.D.A. or something similar?
If there is only one center like they say, then that means that a person must get transportation there which costs more money.

Is there any kind of inpatient recovery time?  

How many days will the person need to be there for?  That also means hotel costs.

Will the person need to come out for some sort of consultation first, and then come out there again when the procedure is finally performed?

My biggest question is, if they recommend that you stay on Naltrexone for a whole year, and they say that it is very important for the person the get it implanted rather than taking it in pill form, does that mean that the person must fly back to their facility each and every time that the implant needs to be changed?  The price alone for the implant is outrageous, but to have to add on trips to another state with food, gas, lodging, and transportation every time, would be ludicrous!  If any of that were the case, I think I'd have to say that if a person wants to stop their addiction badly enough, they will be able to take the pills (which are probably much more readily available to them in their local pharmacy, and maybe even possibly covered by their insurance therefore, much cheaper!) and stay on them because they like the fact that the pills are keeping them from wanting to go back to their d.o.c. and that they never want to live that life again!

I understand that rehabs are EXTREMELY expensive, so $6700 isn't all that much if someone if already considering spending the money on a rehab anyway.  Although, many insurances will cover rehab.  Insurance does not cover this at all I believe.  

I just want to here if anyone has been through this procedure, or knows someone who has, and what the results were?  I would also love to hear what other folks have to say about their thoughts on this idea.

If anyone wants to check out their website, it's rapiddrugdetox.com.  I will admit, I only read the front page of their website which had the description and general facts, and then the page that explains all about the Naltrexone, so I may have missed some information in there that answers some of the questions I wrote above.  I was just more looking for other people's thoughts and experiences, and giving them some things to think about.

Thanks!
Lola <3

[NautyOne]

They are NOT the only one's who perform this type of procedure.  Maybe the Naltrexone.....not sure.  The waismann method as you have probably seen on this site also does it.  I actually saw a program with Dr. Waismann and they did the procedure on a 22 yr. old Oxy addict.  I can't remember how long it took, but yes, you would have to come to California to get the procedure.  From what I saw it looked pretty scary, but it was interesting.  Dr. Waismann explains the risks being that of anything where they put you under, but I was completely against it at first because of what my sister told me....she was a nurse in a psyh. ward and they were perfoming this procedure and she left because she did not think it was ethical and the treatment was improper.  You have to be careful of any of these so-called miracle treatments.  The Naltrexone implant I know is being used for alcohol abuse, and works extremely well.  It's not yet approved for opiate addiction---as far as I know--but they say it is promising   for the future for many kinds of prescription and illicit drugs.......Holy cow !  I am rambling......I took 2 neurontin and I'm about to pass out......weeeeeee.  I hope something I said here helps.......:-)))))

[Lola_mama]

You're rambling?!  Did you see my post?  Holy ****!  It didn't feel near that long when I wrote it, but when I just scrolled down, I realized that it goes on for days!  Anyway,  I am very curious to know why your sister thought it was unethical and improper treatment?  What exactly is it that goes on in there when the person is under?

[mr.lucky66]

It's not pretty. You wear a diaper because you loose control of your bodily functions. The people I talked too felt horrible after. I think it better to do detox naturally and don't rush it with narcan, naltrexone.

[Lola_mama]

Well thanks for the info guys!  I was just wondering about it.  Luckily, I'm already off the Lortabs.  Still on Suboxone, but I only started it 18 days ago and I've gone from 8mg. to 2mg a day, so I'm pretty close to getting that junk completely out of my system too!  I'm hoping to be fully off of opiates within a month.  That's the goal anyway, but I've never been through this before, so I don't really know what to expect from day to day.  I have no idea how hard it is to go from 2mg a day to nothing at all.  Does anyone recommend going on the Naltrexone pills after completing the Suboxone just for a while to make sure there aren't any relapses until a person is fully on their feet and confident to stand alone and not have cravings at all anymore?

[mr.lucky66]

I've tried it once and it didn't work for me with cravings. Also if you have a emergency and need narcotic sedation, it won't work

[Lola_mama]

yeah, that would be scary, you're right!

[wannawean]

Had a friend whose cousin had the procedure last week. She went to a place in TN. I'm thinking they do use narcan while the person is under anesthesia. She had the implants I believe the brand name is Revia which is for cravings. I talked to my friend and she was saying her cousin was having a difficult time w/cravings. She paid a few thousand dollars up front for the procedure/implants. The total cost was under 5K in TN. Oh well, I think it's good for some but you'd need counseling to wk w/the mental aspects of addiction.

[Lola_mama]

Wow, interesting!  So how's she doing at this point?  

[bubbaganoosh]

There's a place here that does it cheap 1500, some say its ok theyre happy enough opiods are out and gone, depends on how quick you want off but i think tapering might be the gentle way

[Lola_mama]

Where is here?  Like I said, it's not that I am interested for myself, I am already off of the Lortabs I had been taking.  I was just curious about this works because I had never heard of it before this.

[Bre333]

Hi. First of all the Naltrexone implant is very dangerous. It is not approved bythe FDA and may release too much Naltrexone into the body. There have been deaths recently with this implant, be careful. Also, oral Revia is much safer. If you wanna quit, you'll take it. It reduces the cravings and prevents you from feeling the "high" associated with the opiates. Waismann Method seems to be geeting a poor reputation, and I don't understand why. They are saving peoples lives, quite lieterally. Just because a nurse felt it in her personal moral code to be "unethical"(and for what reason, it's better than dying from a methadone overdose, right?) does not mean that you would find it to be that. Make your own choices in life and do the research you need to. I have a friend who went throught he proceure and it has completly changed every aspect of his life, he's doing excellent. Best of luck.

[HenryS354]

Please read my post regarding the Ultra Rapid Detox Method also known as UROD

Do some seraches on the net trying keywords such as UROD, Naloxone induced detox, or rapid opiate detox.  When reading try to stay with infromation given by non advertising agencies as the information is much more reliable.  Of course the patient stories on these paces websites rave about the procedure.... has anyone ever read about a horror story on one of these companies websites? Hmmmmm.... interesting to say the least!

I not only have first hand experience undergoing UROD myself, but also have extensive experience in the medical field and will be finishing medical school myself in about two years.  

Please, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Henry

[HenryS354]

Could you please site your source for the information you provided?

The Naltrexone Implant itself is not dangerous, its the person getting the implant.

The implant is put in using local anesthesia with the patient fully conscious at the time of the procedure.

The deaths that have occured with patients using the Naltrexone implant have occurred due to overdose from their DOC, NOT the implant.

The reason is this.

Naltrexone blocks any EUPHORIA that we receive when we use drugs, it does NOT block the drug effects themselves.

When a patient on the implant tries to get high, they dont feel anything so they continue to use more and more trying to override the Naltrexone.  What happens is the drugs respiratory depression side effect builds up and most of these people overdose from their DOC and stop breathing.  This has nothing to do with the safety of the Implant.

This is also quite common of an occurance with oral Naltrexone, as it is the same drug and works in the same ways.  

Henry

[avisg]

According to two recent Australian studies, the use of naltrexone implants to treat drug dependency should be stopped because of reports of severe adverse reactions. But even if the so-called "treatment" was safe, treating a drug addiction with a replacement drug doesn't cure anything -- recovery requires medical drug detox and rehab.

The drug naltrexone is used to block or reduce the "high" associated with opioids and alcohol. Usually supplied as a pill, it is said to help addicts control their cravings, but only as long as they continue using the drug properly. However, since drug addicts are notoriously unreliable, many fail to take their medication as or when prescribed. This has led to the development of long-lasting naltrexone abdominal implants, which slowly release the drug into the system over a period of months.

In Australia, two new studies show that there are problems with the naltrexone implants. First of all, they are not approved for human use, but nevertheless are being provided through private clinics. One study found that the research on naltrexone implants did not follow the usual scientific process of testing and safety. Another study found that two-thirds of naltrexone patients who were admitted to hospital after receiving the implants were suffering from such problems as severe opiate withdrawal and dehydration, infection at the implant site that required surgery to repair, and mental and emotional problems that should have ruled them out of a naltrexone program.

[Babydoll71]

I just recently went thru the rapid detox and have NEVER felt this bad in my life.....and mine was 10K.......i was in the hospital for about 2 days and coming home was a nightmare.....i couldn't move i was so sore....plus the detox washed all of my anit-depressant out of my body as well....so i have to start ALL over.......I WOULD NEVER, EVER, EVER recommend doing the naltrexone......implant or pill.......it made me angrier than i have ever been in my life......and it doesn't help me w/ the cravings AT ALL......

[HenryS354]

Thank you for that information!  Its greatly appreciated...  I hope I didnt come off the wrong way when I asked for the source, I just like to have as much info as possible.  This is interesting stuff!

Babydoll,

Thats so aweful to hear, and I feel your pain.  Interesting about the anger from the naltrexone.  Have you talked with any of the docs about this?  Then again they would probablly shake their head and tell you some bs like"Your just angry cause u cant get high"

[avisg]

Henry ,
Not at all. I was interested as well.I dont know much about the implant so I like to be as infromed as I can be .

[Bre333]

Henry,
Oral Revia is FDA approved, Naltraxone implant has not. PLease see the article below.

http://alcoholism.about.com/od/meds/a/naltrexone.htm

[scarlett_nothing]

rapid detox is horrible. it's not an easy answer, it's so hard on the body. i wouldn't recommend it at all, just because my personal experience was so horrid, getting off methadone with it. and really expensive. in fact, everyone i know who has done it has said much the same, and we all relapsed within a few months anyway. i've found normal detox off methadone much better this time.

[Bre333]

Which rapid detox did you go to? Sorry about your experience...

[Suzr65]

I went through a rapid detox in Virginia. I wasn't taking a large quantity of hydrocodone but had been on it for 5 years. The clinic made it comfortable and the procedure was uneventful. I had the Naltrexone implants on the 3rd day of treatment. About 2 weeks after the detox, I did feel like the antidepressants were washed out of my system which is a horrible feeling in and of itself. That quickly subsided and I feel really good today. It has been a month since I received the implants. The total for the procedure was $4600. At least I didn't get sick trying to do it on my own.

[chemister]

Naltrexone implant is not very dangerous, but it helps only at opiats.
There was no problems with the inplat when a group of people try it in Norway.
We can get Subutex/Subuxone, methadone or Naltrexone implant free.

[Tamethepain]

My fear is that with any anesthesia the what ifs? I think I'd rather suffer like I did than wonder whether or not I may actually die under anesthesia. I mean, it's not a sure thing: you could have a reaction to the combo of drugs they give you or to the anesthetic, vomit & aspirate it into your lungs, have a stroke etc. Not worth it to me. I have toughed out 9 days & think I'm thru the worst of it. If you have insurance I think your provider may be able to furnish you with a clinic close by. I had a freind do it here in Northern Cal.

[Tamethepain]

My fear is that with any anesthesia the what ifs? I think I'd rather suffer like I did than wonder whether or not I may actually die under anesthesia. I mean, it's not a sure thing: you could have a reaction to the combo of drugs they give you or to the anesthetic, vomit & aspirate it into your lungs, have a stroke etc. Not worth it to me. I have toughed out 9 days & think I'm thru the worst of it. If you have insurance I think your provider may be able to furnish you with a clinic close by. I had a freind do it here in Northern Cal.

[mik306]

Has anyone been through the "rapid detox" at the Rapid Detox Center (RDD) in Livonia, MI?