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Benzodiazepines can help with opiate withdrawal but medically are rarely used as there is a very high risk of the individual developing a secondary dependence.

Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist, so it can block the effects of opiates in the bloodstream and precipitate withdrawal symptoms, speeding up the withdrawal process

Opiates are depressants as they slow down the body and brain and repress the body's central nervous system.

Gabapentin and pregabalin are not an opiate drugs they are man-made synthetic drugs that work on the central nervous system to relieve and block nerve pain. They are however very addictive and extremely dangerous when abused or mixed with alcohol....

Whilst diazepam can produce similar effects to opiates it is not an opiate. Diazepam is a prescribed medication that belongs to the class of benzodiazepines. It is extremely addictive and very difficult to detox from once dependent.

Co-codamol is an opiate-based painkiller containing Codeine and paracetamol. It is available over the counter in lower strengths and on prescription in higher strengths

Naloxone and naltrexone are commonly used opioid antagonist drugs which are competitive antagonists that bind to the opioid receptors with higher affinity than agonists but do not activate the receptors. This effectively blocks the receptor, preventing the body from responding....

The NIH states that between 40 and 60 percent of drug addicts will relapse. For heroin, statistics suggest that up to 80 percent of heroin addicts will relapse. This shows that only a very small percentage of opiate addicts stay....

The National Crime Survey for 2017/18 estimates that 7% of adults aged 16 to 59 have taken a non-prescribed prescription-only painkiller for medical reasons.

Prescriptions for powerful opioid painkillers have doubled from 12m to 24m in past decade, NHS Digital figures reveal.