A pill that is both cheaper and safer than methadone has been found to be just as effective at treating heroin addicts, a new study has found.
The research into the prescription painkiller dihydrocodeine was carried out on Edinburgh drug users.
The joint study by the universities of Edinburgh, Napier and Adelaide found the tablet easier to store and less likely to cause a fatal overdose.
Methadone programmes have been criticised for their high cost.
Major implications
The three-and-a-half year study is the first time the effectiveness of dihydrocodeine has been tested.
It found that the pill could have major implications for drug user treatment programmes.
The study said dihydrocodeine should offer another option for treating users.
Dr Roy Robertson of the University of Edinburgh, who is the study's main author, said: "Just as with other chronic conditions there should be a number of treatments available so that doctors and nurses can tailor medication to the needs of each patient.
"Methadone should still be used to treat the majority of patients withdrawing from heroin and requiring maintenance treatment.
"Dihydrocodeine offers an alternative treatment for those who can't tolerate methadone, or find it hard to deal with the stigma of having to take their dose"
"But dihydrocodeine offers an alternative treatment for those who can't tolerate methadone, or find it hard to deal with the stigma of having to take their dose - sometimes every day - in a pharmacy."
About 20,000 people in Scotland are on methadone programmes.
The study said it was estimated that whereas methadone treatment can cost almost £1,500 annually per patient, the cost of dihydrocodeine is just £713.
Dihydrocodeine has been used by GPs and specialists for several years to treat drug users.
It is often preferred in situations where methadone is seen as hazardous, such as police custody or prison.
Dr Robertson, who also works as a GP, added that while there were less restrictions attached to the tablets it was still essential that treatment regimes were controlled and tailored to the individual.
The study, funded by the Chief Scientist Office, assessed 235 people requiring treatment for opiate dependency in Edinburgh.
The results are published in the current edition of Addiction.
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