Neuro-Electric Therapy
Neuro-Electric Therapy is a new method for easing the withdrawal from heroin or other opiates. The addict is required to apply electrodes behind the ear, which are then electrically stimulated daily for six to ten days using a control pack which the addict carries with them.
The electrical currents are said to stimulate nerve pathways (much like acupuncture), thus reducing any cravings for opiates and lessening the painful withdrawal symptoms. However the researchers are keen to point out that this treatment is not an alternative to counselling or rehabilitation, merely an effective method for dealing with the physicalities.
A trial of neuro electric therapy in Scotland has produced very promising results. This is expected to lead to much bigger trials of the treatment in the near future.
June 17th, 2006 at 8:01 pm
Not sure how I’d feel about walking around with cables trailing around my head, and hopefully there’s fuses in place to prevent short circuits and a quick dose of ECT! Still, if it helps make the cluck a bit easier then sign me up.
February 21st, 2007 at 6:26 pm
This is a revolutionary new treatment which could save the lifes of thousands of drug addicts! Although still at its early stages of development, the treatment seems to be having hugly possitive effects. The truth seems to be that the only reason why the NHS will not accept this , is due to loss of profits gained from the replacement drugs they currently offer to addicts in rehab. If only they could look beyond money and do what is morally correct for once!!
February 23rd, 2007 at 9:18 pm
First of all - hear hear Smith, well said.
My 21 year old son has been a heroin addict for 3 years, in and out of prison due to the shop-lifting and such to fund his habit. I have tried to find help for him to help kick this habit but here in the North of Scotland our options are very limited. We have tried it all, He has been on a D.T.O. (Drug Treatment Order) taking methadone and other drugs, I have taken weeks off work on several occasions to try and help him through the worst first weeks when he’s rattling and to try and keep him away from the people who so readily supply him with heroin, all to no avail. On numerous occasions myself, my partner and my other kids have to sit and watch him gouching. I have gone through months on end wondering when that knock on the door was going to come, telling us he was dead. Right now he’s at home with us, on his third day off heroin and almost getting back to his old self but we’ve been here before and the cynic (or realist) in me is saying - “For how long this time?” Show me where to sign him up for trials of this and I’ll be first in the queue.
March 23rd, 2007 at 7:24 am
Should be interesting to see how it works with alcohol addiction, sounds safer than the Ibogaine way..
March 29th, 2007 at 6:13 pm
I would like to try this method to see if it works for me - i might even get my life back because right now i feel like a prisoner stuck in methadone land and its not a nice place to be. so how do i go about getting this NET?
May 4th, 2007 at 11:22 am
How do I go about offering myself for trials, I would desperately like to try this out.
Please, anyone with info on how to do this can you post info on this site so that I may follow it up, as David says, this is not a nice place to be! Thanks
June 24th, 2007 at 11:03 am
my understanding of the net trials in scotland is it has had very limited success with addicts back repeatedly for further treatment. My friend approached these people to help her rid herself of a metadone addiction problem first visit looked good was told this is going to happen for you,second visit it was all changed she was told the owners of the net patent were having talks with the private rehabs and this charity had no money to fund her treatment. her friend who was on the trial told of a rehab/charity that has a net device she asked to referred to them heard nothing phoned rehab/charity said they would put her on their list heard that before. did the owners this net/tens? device exploit the maxi richards foundation rehab/charity, the third step charity,and the addicts for commercial gain.bbc footage was heavily edited none of the bad stuff was shown ie no sleep for weeks and heavy tripping
July 23rd, 2007 at 11:50 am
Could any one shed any light on who is conducting these trials?? also does anyone know of any private practices that offer this sort of treatment??
mail bodgeup@googlemail.com
July 24th, 2007 at 6:05 pm
I am desperately trying to find out how i can do this trial, it seems after searching no one knows which is very annoying. Please Please let me know how i can as i cant handle this life for much longer. This should be widely known to the people who need it - if it does work not only would it save lives but would hugely reduce the costs of treatment. Like i say i’d love to try it.
August 1st, 2007 at 9:58 am
A friend’s son has been under treatment for heroin addiction a number of times. We live in South Africa. Is there anybody in South Africa that could give us more information on NET? Or do you have a contact number so that we can ask his father (parents are divorced) who is residing in the UK to obtain some information for us?
Replies can be sent to : tandoz@webmail.co.za
August 3rd, 2007 at 5:53 pm
I would be very interested to know if there is any way i would be able to try this net treatment as i have been on methodone a long time and had many relapses and i heard about the success rate from this n.e.t treatment and would appreciate it if you could tell me is it possible to go anywhere to get it done.
August 5th, 2007 at 11:56 am
does anyone know where you can go to get this treatment even if its private treament somehere , I am from Glasgow and want to know how i go about being able to try this treatment , if you know where it can be done please contact me at , eddiebhoy2005@hotmail.co.uk
August 30th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
Iv tried finding out about NET for 6 months now and nobody seems to be able to help. It seems a much better option than using another drug like methadone. If anyone can give me any information i would be extremely grateful.midimagee@hotmail.com
October 27th, 2007 at 8:35 am
hey people, you can buy a device designed by one of the
original researchers in the field: Dr. Robert C. Beck.
search for bt-6 or brain tuner to learn more. alternativly,
the one company beck worked close with is Sotainstruments. -find them and you’ll have all you need
to apply this therapy *now* and by yourself..
(also, to learn about Dr. Becks other research, search
on “Beck Protocol” -there are a few of his video lectures
on google vids. -i have used his blood cleaner device with extremely good results)
good luck,
-soundwash
October 29th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
im 25yrs old - ive been taken heroin for 7yrs now, ive been on methadone for 2/3 yrs. i lost my mum to cancer, i was 12 yrs old - my dad had nothing to do with me so my gran and papa took on the parenting thats my mums side, then 3yrs ago my dad died. so i was staying with my gran but she passed away on 1st may 2007 she was my 2nd mum. i want to come off everything please can you help me as i would like to try NET i would even be a guinnie pig. yours sincerly LINDSAY ROWLAND
January 12th, 2008 at 9:23 am
I have been on gear for over ten years now, I’ve tried the electro therapy they have in our local drug service place with mixed results although this is not exactly the same as NET it is supposed to help withdrawal symptoms, I have also tried tens machines in various places around my body - back, neck, arms / legs etc with no luck. They really need to radically overhaul the ‘war on drugs’ strategy and start handing out heroin to addicts so we can wean ourselves off safely and in our own time. This method had had spectacularly successful results in Switzerland and crime rates plummetted accordingly. They need to take the drugs out of the hands of the dealers..
February 14th, 2008 at 11:46 am
I would like info on the NET drug trails in respect to amphetamines, as this makes perfect sense to me. We would really like to be able to get my partener(as would he) on this trial as it’s the lack of his own bodies chemical balances that sends him into a deep depression after the phyiscal withdraw. so something that speeds ups the process in producing and regulating the natural chemical balances has got to help in solving the problem of getting clean and staying clean after the physical withdraw.
November 13th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
I successfully used NET in 1980 when it was being pioneered by Dr. Meg Patterson (who treated Eric Clapton and Keith Richards). She had a treatment centre called Pharmakon. At the time it was in Broadhurst Manor in Sussex and was in combination with group and occupational therapy.
BACKGROUND
I had a two-year old opiate habit and had been injecting a synthetic opiate called Palfium (Dextromoramide - no longer prescribed in the UK since 2003). Toward the end of the two years I was injecting myself about 50 times a day and the last two weeks before receiving NET I was injecting every 30 minutes - I was a dab-hand with the needle! (Palfium has a very short half-life and my tolerance was immense).
NET helped me! It reduced the withdrawal symptoms significantly (it was hard for her to find the right setting as palfium was an unknown opiate to her and I’m sure had I been mainly on Heroin which was familiar to her my withdrawals would have been reduced even more). Due to the very short half-life the cold-turkey with Palfium was savage and I believe NET possibly saved my life as I’m not sure I would have endured that pain without it! Although it IS posssible to do it!
After a few days I felt a LOT better. NET also increases recovery time.
Meg Patterson (who, sadly died, a few years ago) wrote some books on her research and I am cited (anonymously) in the book.
If you’ve tried and failed to get off your drug of choice, try and get NET.
Good luck and blessings to all of you who suffer with addiction.