Mental Health Center of Madison County
4040 South Memorial Parkway
Huntsville, AL 35802

Telephone Crisis Intervention
Available 24/7
For Our Clients and the Local Community
256-533-1970

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Computer-Based Screening May Reduce Teen Substance AbuseTeen Impulsiveness Has Different Sources in ADHD, Substance UseAccelerated Aging Evident in Cocaine-Dependent IndividualsMany Who First Misuse Prescription Pills Get Them From Friends, Family: ReportCocaine Habit Might Speed Brain AgingUse of Ecstasy, Speed by Teens Tied to Later DepressionHalf of Young Cigarette Smokers Also Smoke Pot: Survey12-Step Meetings May Help Teens Beat Alcohol, Drug AbuseAlcohol Use With Opioids Common Even Without Abuse PastSubstance Abusers, Even Recovering Ones, May Face StigmaDrug, Alcohol Abuse Common Among U.S. Teens, Study FindsAlcohol Effects on Brain Activity Vary With Blackout HistoryPrenatal Meth Exposure Linked to Behavioral ProblemsExcessive Drinking Costs U.S. Colleges Millions AnnuallyKids Using Synthetic Pot a Growing Public Health ConcernSpring Break Boozing May Put Young Brains at RiskMany Alcoholics Suffered Childhood Trauma: StudyGenes Play a Role in Drug Abuse Risk Among Adopted Kids: StudyNarcotic Painkillers Another Threat to Traumatized War Vets: StudyDrinking Scenes in Movies May Spur Teens to Do the SameStrict Underage Drinking Laws May Deter Delinquency in TeensEcstasy Use During Pregnancy May Harm Fetus: StudySupport for Tougher Liquor Laws Rises When Booze, Crime LinkedBooze in Movies May Fuel Teenage Drinking1 in 10 U.S. Kids Lives With Parent Who Has Abused Alcohol: ReportStop-Smoking Drug May Also Curb Problem DrinkingIllicit Drugs Bought Off Internet May Be Poisons, Experts WarnHard Drug Use in Middle Age Could Prove Fatal, Study FindsDrinking Late in First Trimester May Be Most HazardousAlcohol Targets Brain 'Reward Centers' in Heavy DrinkersOne in Six Americans Binge Drink: CDCMeth Users Much More Likely to Try SuicideFor Some Couples, Binge Drinking Is RoutineStates Crack Down on Drunk Drivers This Holiday SeasonDrug Overdoses Kill More Americans Than Car Accidents: CDCAlcohol Use Down, Pot Use Up Among U.S. TeensDrunk Driving-Related Deaths Surge During the Holidays'Ecstasy' May Cause Long-Term Changes in Brain ChemistryToo Much Alcohol Linked to Unsafe Sex, Study ConfirmsIf Parents Drink and Drive, Their Kids May Too: StudySmart Kids More Likely to Try Illicit Drugs as Young AdultsHelping Others Helps Teens Beat Substance AbuseDrugs Slipped Into Drinks Sending Many to ER: ReportHeavy Meth Use Linked to Schizophrenia'Fake Marijuana' May Trigger Heart Trouble in TeensMore Than a Third of Teens Turning to Alcohol, Drugs: StudyMore People Landing in the ER After Abusing Muscle Relaxant: ReportDeaths From Abuse of Painkillers Triple in a Decade: CDCNational Drug Take-Back Day Scheduled for SaturdayPot Can Mimic Brain Changes Seen in Schizophrenia

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Vaccine to Prevent Heroin High Works in Animals

by -- Randy Dotinga
Updated: Jul 28th 2011

new article illustration

THURSDAY, July 28 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers say they're seeing promising results in animals from a vaccine designed to prevent a heroin high.

The vaccine produces antibodies -- a part of the immune system -- that appear to prevent heroin from reaching the brain and producing euphoria, the study authors explained.

"In my 25 years of making drug-of-abuse vaccines, I haven't seen such a strong immune response as I have with what we term a dynamic anti-heroin vaccine," principal investigator Kim D. Janda, a chair in chemistry at The Scripps Research Institute, said in an institute news release. "It is just extremely effective. The hope is that such a protective vaccine will be an effective therapeutic option for those trying to break their addiction to heroin."

Janda and his colleagues have already produced vaccines that try to stop the effects of cocaine and nicotine; they're being tested in humans. The new heroin vaccine targets both heroin and a chemical produced by its breakdown.

Addicted rats that were given the vaccine were also less likely to self-administer more heroin, in contrast to the ones that did not get the vaccine (the "control" rats). All of the control rats continued pressing levers to get more heroin, the investigators found.

Since heroin abuse and addiction also help drive the spread of HIV through needle sharing, the researchers are now exploring whether it might be possible to combine an HIV vaccine (none is currently available) and a heroin vaccine into the same injection.

The findings were released online in advance of print publication in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

While the findings hold promise, experts note that research involving animals frequently fails to lead to benefits for humans.

More information

For more about drug abuse, visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

The Mental Health Center of Madison County
4040 South Memorial Pky.
Huntsville, AL 35802

Phone
256.533.1970

Fax
256.532.4112

Office hours:

Monday to Thursday
8:00am - 5:30pm

Friday
8:00am - 5:00pm

Telephone Crisis Intervention
Available 24/7
For Our Clients and the Local Community
256-533-1970