Drugs to Treat Drug Addiction

Definition

Drug addiction outlines a complex pathological picture, in which a subject feels the extreme need to take a substance, despite being aware of its side effects and dangerous; the suspension of the intake of that given substance leads to abstinence. drug addiction is also related to tolerance: to achieve the same effect, the body needs an ever higher dose of the substance of abuse.

For drug addiction, we do not refer only to drugs of abuse; in fact, alcoholism and some drugs can also create addiction, physical or psychological. Smoking is also a common form of drug addiction.

Causes

Drug addiction is a psychological, behavioral and physical disorder in all respects, in which genetics and the environment seem to play a very important role in pushing the subject to take abusive substances. Abuse addiction appears to occur when repeated and constant use of a drug, drug or other substance alters the perception of pleasure; this behavior triggers a series of mechanisms that induce the subject to continue taking that given substance.

Symptoms

The symptoms of drug addiction vary according to the substance of abuse: for example, the administration of a beta blocker is physically addictive, different from the psychological addiction caused by a drug such as heroin. The symptoms common to most drug addiction are abstinence and tolerance, accompanied by a series of obsessive compulsive behavioral disorders, mood changes, panic attacks, propensity to violence, decreased concentration, drowsiness or insomnia. , changes in appetite. These aspects are often associated with other symptoms, such as red eyes, narrowing of the pupil, blurred vision, etc.

It is not possible to describe a complete picture of the symptoms, since the characteristic signs depend on the substance that creates drug addiction. For further information: read the article on the symptoms of drug addiction

The information on Addiction - Drugs for Addiction Treatment is not intended to replace the direct relationship between health professional and patient. Always consult your doctor and / or specialist before taking Drug Addiction - Drugs for Addiction Treatment.

Medicines

The treatment of drug addiction begins from the moment the problem is recognized: given its delicacy, relatives, family members and friends should take care of the patient, without giving impositions or orders on what to do and what not to do. Even if trivial, the support of the people who are close to the addict is essential.
The treatment of drug addiction is rather complex, since, as we have analyzed, abstinence crises often arise that push the addict to desperately seek that substance: in addition to the attention of family members, drug addiction, in order to be cured definitively, requires a multidisciplinary approach with psychological, social and pharmacological interventions.
The administration of drugs is an element that unites the vast majority of drug addiction treatments, since it is very difficult to be able to abandon the use of narcotic substances with the only psychological approach. It should also be emphasized that a drug addict does not manifest " only "the risk of relapse: it is observed, in fact, that a drug patient tends to inject preparations intended for oral intake, which entails a series of rather serious consequences (gangrene, abscesses or necrosis at the injection point, toxicity cardiac or pulmonary resulting from the deposition of the substance in the heart muscle or lung, diseases resulting from injections made with infected needles, etc.).
Let's see, in detail, the most suitable drugs for drug addiction to alcohol, tobacco and narcotic drugs.

The following are the classes of drugs most used in drug addiction therapy, and some examples of pharmacological specialties; it is up to the doctor to choose the most suitable active ingredient and dosage for the patient, based on the severity of the disease, the state of health of the patient and his response to treatment:

Alcohol addiction: alcohol can also be considered a drug and, as such, can create addiction and withdrawal. In general, the alcoholic begins to drink occasionally, and then increases the dose more and more: over time, the alcoholic "individual perceives the need to take more and more alcohol in order to achieve the desired state of euphoria.
To treat alcohol addiction, the patient must collaborate with doctors and family members: it would be useless to follow a - in a certain sense - “rehabilitative” scheme when the patient does not want it.

For drugs and dosage: see the article on drugs for the treatment of alcoholism

Tobacco addiction: smoking can also be considered a form of drug addiction, the long-term side effects of which can be very serious. Also in this case, as in the previous case, the drug treatment to stop smoking can only exert its therapeutic effect if the subject is convinced of it, because it would be useless to take pharmacological substances to reverse the drug addiction if the intention is to really do so. is missing.

For drugs and dosage: read the article on smoking cessation drugs

Drug addiction to drugs of abuse: the treatment of opioid drug addiction can be twofold and consists in the gradual cessation of the administration of the drug or its abrupt abstention; the choice of one treatment rather than another must be assessed on the basis of each individual case.
Emergency treatment should be carried out in cases of drug overdose or intoxication; in such situations, the subject tends to lose consciousness and often requires temporary assisted breathing. The choice of drug depends on the drug abused. In addition to administration of pharmacological specialties, the patient can be referred to special centers for intoxication, where the sick are subjected to specific behavioral and psychological programs. Now let's see what are the most used drugs in therapy:

Methadone (eg Metado C): opioid agonist drug to be used in therapy, under medical supervision, for the treatment of heroin addiction. Administration of this drug is helpful in reducing the withdrawal symptoms from heroin; the drug is addictive, therefore it is not prescribed to all patients. Its use is reserved only for cases of severe heroin or opioid addiction. Although the dosage must be carefully adapted to the individual patient, a purely indicative dosage is given below: initially, take 10-40 mg of the drug per day. Gradually increase the dose by max. 30 mg per week (no more than 10 mg per day), until withdrawal symptoms disappear.
Buprenorphine (eg Buprenorphine MYL): it is a partial opioid agonist drug, prescribed only to drug addicts with a serious situation; however, its use is also indicated to treat drug addiction in subjects with moderate opioid addiction. The drug can cause abstinence: according to this, it is the duty of the toxicant to gradually reduce the intake of drugs before starting treatment with the drug. Buprenorphine is often associated with Naloxone (eg. Suboxone): in the form of sublingual tablets from dissolve - formulated with 2 mg of buprenorphine and 0.5 mg of naloxone - indicatively take the drug at a dose of 1-2 tablets per day, significantly increasing the dosage, in full compliance with the instructions given by the doctor. Do not exceed 24 mg per day buprenorphine day.
Naltrexone (eg Nalorex): unlike the drugs described above, naltrexone is a partial opioid antagonist, to be used only in cases of severe opioid addiction; the drug induces all withdrawal symptoms. It exerts its therapeutic action by inhibiting the euphoric action of opioids and is prescribed, precisely for this reason, also to former addicts to avoid relapses. It is a powerful drug, to be administered only in specialist hospitalizations, under the supervision of a doctor. Begin therapy at least 7-10 days after opioid abstention (to be verified by urinalysis), in the absence of withdrawal signs. Start therapy with 25 mg of the drug in a single dose; the maintenance dose is to take 50 mg per day. The weekly dose can be divided into three doses, in order to improve patient compliance. The drug is also available. as a suspension for injection: take 380 mg every 4 weeks by intramuscular injection into the buttock.
Lofexidine (eg Dimatex): the drug (alpha adrenergic agonist) is not marketed in Italy. In some countries it is used to relieve symptoms of opioid addiction. In general, the drug should be initially administered at a dose of 800 mcg per day, divided into several doses; the dosage can be gradually increased, without exceeding 2.4 mg per day (for each dose, not exceeding 800 mcg). The indicative duration for drug addiction treatment is 7-10 days: the patient should not take this drug if he continues to take opioids.