Presently, detoxification using methadone is the only FDA approved method for treating narcotic addiction. However, methadone had not proven to be effective in eliminating addiction, and is itself addicting, producing a more severe withdrawal syndrome than heroin. Advances in neuroscience suggest that the auricular application of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) may provide a nonpharmacological, nonaddicting means for alleviating the narcotic withdrawal syndrome which is easy and safe to administer and appealing to individuals who are seeking to overcome a chemical dependency. The objective of this project is to evaluate a unique form of auricular TENS, which applies sine-wave constant alternating current bilaterally to the conchae of the ears, as a method for alleviating the signs and symptoms of narcotic withdrawal in chronic narcotic users who are undergoing detoxification. An initial pilot study (Phase I) will identify the parameters of stimulation (i.e., frequency) for optimal effect, and subsequent studies (Phase II) will compare TENS of these parameters with methadone in terms of their ability to attenuate signs and symptoms of narcotic withdrawal. The results of this project may lead to the use of this form of TENS as a nonpharmacologic, nonaddictive alternative to methadone in narcotic detoxification.
