A young man smokes a marijuana joint at the Vancouver Art Gallery during the annual 4/20 day, which promotes the use of marijuana, in Vancouver, British Columbia in this file photo taken April 20, 2013. Young, casual marijuana smokers experience potential
A young man smokes a marijuana joint at the Vancouver Art Gallery during the annual 4/20 day, which promotes the use of marijuana, in Vancouver, British Columbia in this file photo taken April 20, 2013. Young, casual marijuana smokers experience potentially harmful changes to their brains, with the drug altering regions of the mind related to motivation and emotion, researchers have found. REUTERS/Ben Nelms/Files REUTERS/Ben Nelms/Files

Male addicts who were treated with methadone were found to have reduced levels of testosterone, according to a new study conducted by McMaster University in Canada, Science Daily News reported.

Female users, on the other hand, showed normal levels of testosterone in the study, the life sciences news agency said.

The study found that men on methadone treatment had testosterone levels one-fourth lower than those of men who were not taking opioids.

Low testosterone levels leads to poor quality of life, erectile dysfunction, fatigue and instability of mood in men.

"We expect that treating testosterone deficiency will improve outcomes of methadone treatment for patients, including treatment response and retention," Dr Zena Samaan, the study's lead investigator, said in a statement released by the university.

"Doctors should also ensure the patients are being prescribed the lowest dose of opioids including methadone for effective treatment to minimize testosterone suppression."

The results of the study are significant in the context of opioid abuse in the country, considering that Canada is the "second largest consumer of opioids in the world," Samaan noted.

The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports and aims to inspire rehabilitation facilities in finding ways of treating patients without ill side-effects. It involved 231 patients subjected to methadone treatment in Ontario and 783 more participants not using opioids.

Methadone maintenance treatment was developed in the 1960s as a component of a rehabilitation program that focused on vocational training and helped addicts reintegrate into society, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It involved administering daily doses of methadone to the addicts.

The program is still one of the most widely used treatment modality for drug dependent persons.

In Australia and the United States, a new form of treatment involving the use of a naltrexone implant is rapidly growing. A number of clinics in the United States have in fact incorporated the use of this implant into their treatment programs with notable results.

Naltrexone is an FDA-approved antagonist drug that prevents opioid-addicted individuals from craving drugs and blocks the euphoric or pleasure feelings brought on by opiate use. Through continued use, the drug effectively helps addicts stay off drugs as well as alcohol.

Whereas patients risk missing a dose with MMT, patients that receive a on naltrexone implant are more likely not to miss their daily dose of naltrexone as long as the implant is providing therapeutic levels until it completely dissolves months later

"Naltrexone treatment, in any form, is also very different from Methadone treatment in that Naltrexone is not addictive," said BioCorRx, Inc. (OTCQB: BICX) Chief Operating Officer Brady Grainier in an interview. BioCorRx, Inc. is one of the fastest growing companies in the substance abuse addiction treatment sector and has developed a highly effective addiction treatment program that utilizes a biodegradable implant of Naltrexone as one component of the program.. The program is called the Start Fresh Program and it is used by several clinics around the U.S.

It's a two-tiered program that takes a different approach to addiction rehabilitation. The first phase of the program involves an outpatient medical procedure to embed a specially formulated, biodegradable naltrexone implant under the skin and fatty tissue in the lower abdominal area.

The second tier of the program involves a private, one-on-one coaching program to address the specific needs of the individual and to help him or her plan for a life free from substance abuse.

For more information on BioCorRx, Inc.'s Start Fresh Program, you may reach the company's headquarters via phone: 714-462-4880, or visit www.StartFreshProgram.com. Investors can visit their new IR website at www.BICXCorp.com.