What is the ANR Treatment?
ANR, which stands for Accelerated Neuro-Regulation, is an innovative opioid addiction treatment that approaches opioid dependence from a scientifically-based medical perspective.
The ANR treatment is designed to quickly reverse the neurobiological changes that occur in the brain due to opioid use. By restoring normal brain function, ANR enables people dependent on opioids to break the cycle of addiction safely and effectively.
The ANR treatment is suitable for virtually anyone struggling with opioid dependence and opioid use disorder (OUD). It can help you break free from addiction to oxycodone, morphine, tramadol, and other opioids, regardless of how long you’ve been taking them or how many times you’ve tried to quit.
How ANR Treats Opioid Dependency
Unlike traditional opioid use disorder treatments, ANR treats the root cause of opioid dependence rather than merely helping people addicted to opioids manage withdrawal symptoms.
The therapeutic goal of ANR is encoded in its name—Accelerated Neuro-Regulation.
Simply put, this treatment works by re-regulating the opioid receptor system, thus addressing the underlying neurobiological causes of opioid addiction. By returning the brain to its pre-addiction state, the ANR treatment eliminates opioid withdrawal symptoms, including cravings, and negates the risk of relapse.
The 3 Pillars of ANR Treatment
#1. Returning Normal Brain Function
Endorphins are neurotransmitters that help alleviate pain, reduce stress, and promote positive feelings, which is why they are also known as natural pain relievers. The brain naturally produces them in response to various internal and external stimuli, such as pain and stress. Physical exercise and other pleasurable activities can also trigger endorphin release.
Endorphins bind to the same receptors in the central nervous system that opioids do, blocking pain signals from reaching the brain. They can also stimulate dopamine release. This “feel-good chemical” brings a sense of pleasure and improves mood.
Under normal circumstances, the brain produces an adequate amount of endorphins in relation to the stimuli it experiences. Once the stimuli have subsided or are extinguished, endorphin levels return to a baseline level. The brain always seeks to return to this state of balance, but prolonged use of opioids makes it increasingly difficult to regulate itself.
#2. Treating Neuroadaptation from Continuous Opioid Exposure
Opioids are potent drugs with pain-relieving properties that mimic endorphins. However, they bind to opioid receptors quicker than the body’s natural pain relievers. Moreover, opioids cause the brain to release an excessive amount of dopamine. Not only does this induce euphoria, but it also makes these drugs highly addictive.
Continuous exposure to opioids eventually suppresses the brain’s natural endorphin production. Every time you expose the brain to an opioid—be it heroin or a prescription opioid—you are depleting the endorphins that your body normally creates to block pain, trigger positive feelings, and carry out other functions.
As natural endorphin production decreases, the central nervous system simultaneously begins to increase the number of active opioid receptors in anticipation of binding to the opioids that have been flooding the brain.
As more and more receptors are created, you’ll require increasingly greater amounts of opioids to satisfy the neuro-biochemical demand that is now present in the brain. This is a sign that tolerance has developed.
The increase in the number of opioid receptors is now associated with a ravenous biophysical and neurochemical hunger known as “cravings.”
Effectively, the brain is now in a state of imbalance, and cravings are a manifestation of physical change. Unless the endorphin-receptor balance is restored to its original condition, you will find yourself caught in a perpetual cycle of opioid abuse, relapse, and dependence.
#3. Regulating the Endorphin-Receptor System
Accelerated Neuro-Regulation aims to bring the nervous system back into balance. ANR accomplishes this by modulating it to decrease opioid receptor production while allowing the body to resume proper endorphin production levels.
This treatment also allows unnecessary opioids to be metabolized and eliminated from the body.
By achieving this cellular, neurochemical, and endorphin-receptor re-balance, ANR renders opioid cravings—the hallmark of opioid dependence—non-existent.
The ANR treatment is conducted under deep sedation to avoid the active suffering of opioid withdrawal, which helps patients complete the treatment seamlessly. As a result, unlike most conventional treatment programs and rehab facilities, ANR eliminates the chance of drop-outs.
How ANR Treatment Was Developed
The ANR treatment was developed by Dr. Andre Waismann, an intensive care medicine physician who pioneered rapid detox in the 1990s.
Before redefining the therapeutic goals for treating opioid dependence, Waismann treated patients using Ultra-Rapid Opiate Detox (UROD).
In 1997, he ushered in a new era of opioid addiction treatment by developing Accelerated Neuro-Regulation (ANR)—the first and only opioid use disorder treatment that regulates the endorphin-receptor system and treats opioid addiction at its root.
As the ANR treatment developer and the ANR Clinic’s founder, Dr. Waismann has helped tens of thousands of people overcome opioid dependence and regain control over their lives.
In addition to helping individuals combat opioid addiction, Dr. Waismann and his team are also committed to fighting the opioid crisis globally.
For this reason, you can find ANR centers—all of which adhere to the highest standards of care, quality, and safety—in:
- North America (Tampa, Florida, United States)
- South America (Goiânia, Brazil)
- Europe (Thun, Switzerland)
- Asia (Ashkelon, Israel)
The Revolutionary ANR Treatment Procedure
The ANR procedure consists of four steps: preparation, regulation, stabilization, and optimization.
#1. Preparation
During the time leading up to the hospitalization, we will help you prepare for the ANR treatment. Our medical team will be in regular contact with you to make sure you are in optimal shape for admission.
#2. Regulation
This part of the process happens during the ANR procedure itself.
Here’s a breakdown of the day of the procedure:
- Morning. Once you’re admitted to the hospital, our medical team will perform the necessary lab work and conduct a comprehensive medical evaluation. Then, we will administer pre-medication to help you smoothly transition into the procedure.
- Noon. Once all preparations are completed, it’s time to initiate the ANR procedure. During this time, you will be placed under deep sedation for 4–6 hours and monitored by an anesthesiologist and critical care nurses. Once you’re fully sedated, we will administer medication to cleanse and block opioid receptors. Since you’ll be asleep, you won’t feel any pain or discomfort associated with opioid withdrawal.
- Evening. The first stage of recovery will begin as soon as you wake up with a rebalanced endorphin-receptor system. Upon waking up, you will be evaluated and monitored overnight. If necessary, we will fine-tune your endorphin-receptor balance during this time.
The next day after the ANR procedure, you will begin to move around, eat, and shower. Then, once you’re ready, you will be discharged from the hospital.
#3. Stabilization
After the hospital discharge, our team will guide you in your recovery and help you develop a proper diet plan, exercise routine, and more. You will also receive guidelines and tools to jump-start your endorphin system stabilization, which usually takes 2–3 days. To facilitate this process, adhere to your follow-up team’s directions.
#4. Optimization
Our team will continue to work with you as you pursue your return to the life you led before dependency. For lifelong success, stick to the recommended lifestyle changes and stay in touch with the ANR team.
How is the ANR Treatment Superior to Rapid Detox?
Due to its safety and effectiveness, the ANR treatment is superior to rapid detox.
Rapid detox is a medical procedure that quickly removes opioids from the system. By administering naloxone or another opioid antagonist drug while the patient is under sedation or general anesthesia, rapid detox speeds up the opioid withdrawal process and condenses it into several hours.
Although detox centers often promote this procedure as a safe and efficient opioid dependence treatment, rapid detox is neither safe nor effective. More specifically, it is associated with a risk of potentially life-threatening adverse events, such as cardiac arrest.
The ANR treatment, on the other hand, is tailored to each patient’s medical history, needs, and more, minimizing the risk of side effects and complications. Also, it is performed in an ICU setting at accredited hospitals by highly qualified critical care physicians, anesthesiologists, and other medical professionals, maximizing patient safety.
Moreover, rapid detox simply detoxifies the body from opioids but doesn’t cure opioid dependence. Since it fails to address the root cause of opioid addiction, rapid detox can—and, unfortunately, does—lead to relapse.
Meanwhile, the ANR treatment minimizes the risk of relapse by tackling the deep-seated causes of opioid addiction and reversing opioid-induced chemical changes. For this reason, it is a significantly more effective opioid dependence treatment than rapid detox.
Over 24,000 Patients Treated. What’s the ANR Success Rate?
The ANR treatment has an extremely high success rate and has helped more than 24,000 people worldwide make a long-lasting recovery from opioid dependence.
The secret to the effectiveness and high success rate of ANR lies in the fact that this treatment targets the deep-rooted causes of addiction by reversing the damage opioids cause to the brain. In doing so, ANR simultaneously treats the cause and the symptoms of opioid dependence.
On top of that, this modern opioid use disorder treatment is carried out under deep sedation, meaning that ANR patients don’t consciously experience any pain, suffering, or discomfort associated with withdrawal symptoms. Because of this, virtually all patients complete the ANR treatment successfully.
This, coupled with the fact that patients experience no cravings or other withdrawal symptoms after completing the treatment, makes ANR highly effective in helping people achieve long-term recovery from opioid addiction.
Why You Should Opt for ANR Treatment
If you’re struggling with opioid addiction, you should opt for the ANR treatment because it is the most effective and safest opioid addiction treatment available today.
With that in mind, let’s discuss some advantages of the ANR treatment in greater depth:
- Safety. The ANR team includes board-certified critical care specialists, cardiologists, nephrologists, etc., allowing us to safely and successfully treat patients with complex medical issues. On top of that, ANR negates side effects as the treatment is customized for each patient individually.
- Effectiveness. ANR is the only treatment for opioid addiction that tackles this condition at its core, minimizing the risk of relapse. The treatment doesn’t involve any potentially addictive opioid-replacement drugs, such as methadone or buprenorphine.
- Cost-effectiveness. The ANR treatment costs $19,500, which includes pre-admission preparation appointments, a personalized treatment plan, a private room in a fully accredited and licensed hospital, and more. While some opioid dependence treatments may be cheaper, they aren’t nearly as effective as ANR.
- Speed. With the ANR treatment, you can overcome opioid dependence in days. Most of our patients return to their daily lives without cravings after a 36-hour hospital stay!
