New Device to Manage Physical Withdrawal Pain

An Indiana-based company has developed a device “that aims to remove physical pain for opiate addicts during detox and withdrawal” (Olds, 2016). 

The BRIDGE device, designed by Innovative Health Solutions (IHS), “targets cranial nerves and blocks pain signals” and is only for the first five days of withdrawal from opiates such as heroin, suboxone, methadone, oxymorphone, hydrocodone, oxycodone, and fentanyl (Olds, 2016). According to the vice president of IHS, Brian Carrico, “It treats the physical withdrawal so then the patient can move on to counseling or vivitrol or naltrexone” (Olds, 2016). 

A study conducted in various treatment centers showed that 89.7 percent of patients using the BRIDGE made it through the detox process and went into week two of their substance abuse treatment (Olds, 2016). The study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal within a few months. 

Olds, D. (2016). Could this new device offer pain-free heroin and opioid withdrawal? Retrieved from https://www.thefix.com/could-new-device-offer-pain-free-heroin-and-opioid-withdrawal