A comparative clinical study of the effect of WeiniCom, a Chinese herbal compound, on alleviation of withdrawal symptoms and craving for heroin in detoxification treatment.

WeiniCom is a Chinese herbal compound. The purposes of this double blind study were to evaluate (1) the efficacy of WeiniCom in reducing acute opioid withdrawal symptoms and craving, and (2) the side effects of WeiniCom, in each instance by comparing WeiniCom with buprenorphine, an established opioid detoxification treatment agent. Forty-two heroin addicts meeting the criteria of dependence in DSM-IV were randomly assigned to two treatment groups: a WeiniCom group (21 cases), and a buprenorphine group (21 cases). The Withdrawal Symptom Rating Scale and the Craving Rating Scale were employed to assess acute withdrawal symptoms and craving for heroin, and the Side Effects Rating Scale was used to measure side effects in the 14-treatment period. Both the WeiniCom and buprenorphine treatments are well-tolerated and very safe. Overall, the relief from opioid withdrawal symptoms and craving was better in the WeiniCom group than in the buprenorphine group. The rate of reduction in the severity of the withdrawal symptoms was faster in the WeiniCom group than in the buprenorphine group. By day nine to 10, the WeiniCom group showed very few withdrawal symptoms. In contrast, from day five on, the buprenorphine group continued to report relatively high scores for withdrawal symptoms and craving. WeiniCom demonstrated positive effects quickly, and required a shorter treatment period to achieve a desired degree of elimination of acute withdrawal symptoms and craving.