Category Archives: best-addiction-treatment-education

Types of Opioids and Their Uses

October 4, 2014

Type of Opioids, Their Uses and Side Effects

172468400_80_80Opioids are drugs that many people cannot do without. They are essential in hospitals as they are the most effective drugs that can be used to aid the pain patients. Diseases such as cancer are synonymous to pain and in some situations going through the treatments will be very painful and therefore there is need for a drug that will work in different ways to curb the pain that may be disabling to the patient. Chronic pain in itself presents a torture to the patient and without pain relievers, such pain may cripple a patient. The opioids are not news to many years; people know them some as dangerous drugs that should never have been created in the first place. While to many they has become very valuable essentials that they cannot survive without- the pain patients (and even addicts). However, people are not always informed about the given types of opioids.  The opioids are mostly classified according to their source. There are opioids that are naturally extracted from the poppy plant and used without designing or any other further processing. These will fall under natural opioids.  Opioids may be extracted from the poppy plant but then is further processed. This group is referred to use semi-synthetic opioids while there are some that are some opioids that are processed in the labs. The opioids falling in this group are known as synthetic opioids.

The naturally sourced opioids

The natural opioids are those that are naturally available from the poppy plant. After extraction they are not further processed in a manner that will deplete their contents. Some of these natural opioids are used as pain relievers in hospitals.

Here are examples of the opioids;

Morphine

Morphine is naturally extracted from poppy plant. It is the most dominant opiate in the poppy plant. It was the first active ingredient that was extracted from the poppy plant. Apart from morphine there are also other alkanoids of different types that are found in the opium. The major source of morphine is a chemical extraction from opium.

Despite its use in hospitals for pain relief in patients with intense pain, morphine has a high potential of addiction, tolerance and psychological dependence which develops very rapidly. However psychological dependence takes a little bit longer to develop and may take several months. With morphine, tolerance to respiratory depression and euphoria develops more rapidly than tolerance to analgesia.

Thebaine

Thebaine is naturally available in small quantities in opium. It is also known as Paramorphine. It is white, crystalline, slightly water-soluble and poisonous alkaloid.  The Thebaine-Constituent of Raw-Opium is normally between 0.2% and 1.5%. However higher amounts have been reported. It is not used for therapeutic or recreational purposes, but is converted industrially into a variety of compounds such as oxycodone, oxymorphone, nalbuphine, naloxone, naltrexone, buprenorphine and etorphine.

In the past thabaine was believed to have no properties that were like those of morphine. However there are many studies that have found that thebaine has a considerable potential for dependence both psychological and physical when used in large doses for a long period of time.

Codeine

Naturally extracted from the poppy plant, codeine is used in hospitals as a narcotic pain-reliever and cough suppressant. It functions similar to morphine and hydrocodone. Moreover, when taken a small amount of codeine is converted to morphine in the body. However the mechanism of action of codeine is not known but just like morphine, codeine binds to opioid receptors in the brain. These receptors are important for transmitting the sensation of pain throughout the body and brain. Codeine increases tolerance to pain, decreasing discomfort, but the pain still is apparent to the patient. Despite its ability to suppress coughs and enable pain tolerance, it has the following side effects, noisy breathing, sighing, slow breathing with long pauses between breaths, drowsiness and blue colored lips.

Semi-synthetic opioids

This is a group of drugs that are naturally extracted from the poppy plant but are further processed before they are used. An example is heroine.

Heroine

Comes from the opium poppy but is further processed. When pure it is a white powder that has a bad taste. Some heroin is dark brown, and black tar heroin is either sticky or hard and looks like roofing tar. It has pain relieving properties. Unlike most pain relieving narcotics that are accepted in most states when prescribed by doctors, heroin is illegal in most countries basically because it is highly addictive and has quite grave side effects. Some of the withdrawal symptoms include; sleeplessness, bad chills and sweats, muscle pain, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Synthetic opioids

These are opioids that are made in laboratories. They include;

Methadone

Methadone is used as a pain reliever and as part of drug addiction detoxification and maintenance programs and is only available from certified pharmacies. This drug helps reduce the severity of withdrawal symptoms that are suffered by heroin addicts when they stop using heroin. Some of its side effects include; rapid heart rhythm, severe dizziness and chest pain among others.

Oxycodone

This is an FDA approved drug for use in pain relief as well as suppressing coughs. This drug is a strong pain reliever and works better for both opioidsmoderate and severe pain. It increases tolerance to pain hence eliminating discomfort. It also causes sedation. May cause very severe side effects when mixed with alcohol. Cases of death have been reported.

Fentanyl

Fentanyl is an opioid medication that is used for anesthesia to help prevent pain after surgery or any other medical procedure that may result in moderate or severe pain. It is injected in the muscle or in the vain through IV. It is mostly used before surgery. Side effects include severe dizziness, drowsiness and impaired reactions.

Finally, you need more information to stay away from dependence on alcohol and drugs as these have crippled societies and that is why here at AWAREmed we are dedicated to finding the best solutions to addiction and dependence on substances. Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) is always in the mood of helping any patient to be addiction free. Do not hesitate to call on her for help in managing any sort of chronic pain or any type of addiction as well as other diseases.

Type of Opioids, Their Uses and Side Effects 

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Benzodiazepine Withdrawal

October 3, 2014

Benzodiazepine Withdrawal and How to Help the Patient

BenzodiazepineThe use of any other drug of abuse comes with some of the most undesired side effects. Before we go deep into this topic we should have at least a basic understanding of these terms.

Withdrawal- This term may have different meanings but to many it is associated with getting money from your bank account. That is right but here it means something completely different. Withdrawal in relation to drugs is a term that refers to the feelings of discomfort, distress, and uncontrolled desire for a substance that takes place when a person stops using the substance. For there to be withdrawal, a person must have used a certain substance for quite a good time that his entire body had become adapted to the substance. When a person has used a certain substance for a long time his body may become dependent on the substance to accomplish some critical functions of the body. When a body is metabolically adapted to the use of a certain drug, when a person stops using that drug he will suffer some defects. He will have physical symptoms of withdrawal and these may differ in severity. Some may be mild and flu like while some symptoms of withdrawal might be so severe and life threatening.

What is Benzodiazepine?

Benzodiazepine’s  parent compound of several psychoactive drugs (e.g. nitrazepam, temazepam and diazepam) used as anxiolytics,sedatives and hypnotics; they do not specifically contraindicate local anaesthetics, but as they can cause drowsiness, ataxia, dysarthria andimpaired consciousness, their concomitant use could mask early signs of toxic effects of local anesthetics.

This drug was used in clinics mostly as a tranquilizer. However this drug has potential to be abused. These medicines should be used in a hospital setting or better yet with directions from a physician. However other people are using these drugs for their sedative and intoxicating purposes. Benzodiazepine are addictive drugs and when a person uses them for so long he may reach dependence, it is attempts to stop using these drugs after dependence that results in withdrawal. Just like with any other drug of abuse physical symptoms of withdrawal will appear when you stop using Benzodiazepine after using it for quite along time. There are myriads of symptoms that occur while you stop using these drugs but for this article we will handle just a few.

Some of the Withdrawal symptoms when one stops using Benzodiazepine

Seizure

Seizures are caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain. However a people who have epilepsy are often considered having a seizure disorder this will require medication. Other factors that may cause seizures are low blood sugar level which is common in diabetic patients. Patients suffering from meningitis often suffer seizures as well. However using some drugs may lead to some dependence of brain cells on the drugs so much that when a person stops using the drugs then it may beckon abnormal electrical activity in the brain thereby causing seizures.

The outward effect of seizures can vary from uncontrolled jerking movement (tonic-clonic seizure) to as subtle as a momentary loss of awareness (absence seizure) in this state the patient may lay flat without even moving an inch.

Rebound Anxiety

When a person suffers anxiety disorders and walks into the hospital, the most likely drug that he will be prescribed will be the benzodiazepine. These drugs are known to work well in addressing anxiety disorders however these drugs have a share of the darker world too. They have other side effects that are quite serious. One of these serious side effects includes the rebound effect. When these drugs were used to cure anxiety disorders and then stopped the patient will become even more anxious which may in itself lead to even more problems. The disadvantage of using these drugs for anxiety is that you will become dependent on them so much as to cause rebound anxiety.

Insomnia

Typically insomnia is the lack of sleep. Insomnia is a symptom of a disease and not a disease in itself. Insomnia is often defined as inability to either initiate or maintain sleep or both. For anybody to have a sound sleep there are hormones that work. These hormones are subject to drug activities and this explains why Benzodiazepine may cause insomnia.

Intravenous Amino Acid Therapy for Benzodiazepine Withdrawal

What happens during addiction is that Neurotransmitters are damaged. There is need to restore the neurotransmitters if the normal functions of the body are to be reached. One fact however is that these neurotransmitters are made from amino acids and these amino acids control nearly every aspect of the neurotransmitters. Dependence or addiction on benzodiazepine destroys these neurotransmitters hence to help person overcome cravings for more of benzodiazepine among other withdrawal symptoms there is need to restore the neurotransmitters. Amino acid can be given intravenously to the patient, this is effective as IV delivery bypasses the digestive system hence effective in restoring the neurotransmitters. IV delivery of the amino acids helps even patients whose digestive systems have been affected by addiction to drugs, alcohol and other substances.

NAD and Intravenous Amino Acid Therapy for Benzodiazepine Withdrawal

BenzodiazepineNicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is a coenzyme derivative of vitamin B3 – otherwise known as niacin. This coenzyme is found in all living cells. It is a key metabolism agent as well as many other basic cellular processes. Addicts are often low in energy and because NAD is essential in energy production its supplementation can be of benefit to the addicts. When used in mega doses it helps in making detoxification more rapid. It is given in IV form to reduce the cravings for addictive substances in addicts without exploring replacement therapies. This method of treatment has been used for quite a good time and has been very successful especially on those addicted to prescription drugs like opiates, benzodiazepines and even on cocaine, alcohol and other drugs.

Drug Addiction is a vice that should be fought by all means that is why we at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center are committed to availing help to addicts and offering them a place to call home. It does not matter what kind of addiction you are wrestling with right now, just call on Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) today and begin your journey to victory against addiction.

Benzodiazepine Withdrawal and How to Help the Patient

 

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Gabapentin and Alcohol Dependence

October 3, 2014

Gabapentin Is Useful In Fighting Alcohol Dependence

gabapentinGabapentin also known to many as Neurontin is an anticonvulsant and analgesic drug. This drug was  originally developed to treat epilepsy however it also works well in relieving is neuropathic pain and is now used for pain relief in most hospitals worldwide. It is recommended as a first line agent for the treatment of neuropathic pain arising from diabetic neuropathy, post-herpetic neuralgia, and central neuropathic pain. This drug may also be prescribed for other off-label uses such as treatment of restless leg syndrome, anxiety disorders, insomnia, and bipolar disorder. There are, however, concerns regarding the quality of the trials conducted and evidence for some such uses, especially in the case of its use as a mood stabilizer in bipolar disorder. More research needs to be conducted to ascertain the use of this drug as a mood stabilizer in bipolar disorder.

 

 

Gabapentin Versus Chlordiazepoxide for outpatient alcohol

Benzodiazepines are used to treat alcohol withdrawal (AW) but they are known to cause cognitive impairment, sedation, and ataxia, and interact with alcohol. Nonbenzodiazepine anticonvulsants are promising and possibly safer alternatives for the treatment of Alcohol Withdrawal.

There several studies that have been conducted on this area especially comparing gabapentin and Chlordiazepoxide. In one of these studies the objective was to find out which of these two medications was safe and effective rather the objective was to compare the safety and effectiveness of these two medications. In this study the patients were divided into two groups. The first group was given gabapentin while the other group was given chlordiazepoxide. The subjects were then monitored after 7 days alcohol abstinence, withdrawal severity scores, adverse events including ataxia, sedation, cognitive function and alcohol craving. The results of this study however were never published. To others it may seem useless speaking about a study whose findings was not even published but the very existent of the research speaks volumes. For a fact it shows that chlordiazepoxide that had been used in the past in dealing with patients of alcohol withdrawal had some inefficiencies or had some serious side effects that needed to be corrected therefore a better medication was indeed needed to replace it. However, this is the authors own opinion lets proceed to other research studies that had been done on this subject.

There is also another study whose objective was to compare follow-up measures of Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS), ataxia rating, and Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol revised (CIWA-Ar) symptoms between alcohol-dependent individuals randomized to treatment with gabapentin or chlordiazepoxide. In this study it was found that in ambulatory veterans with symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, gabapentin treatment resulted in significantly greater reduction in sedation (ESS) and a trend to reduced alcohol craving (PACS) by the end of treatment compared to chlordiazepoxide treatment. Although limited by the small sample size, the suggestion of reduction in sleepiness and less craving warrants replication of the study with a larger sample.

Gabapentin with Naltrexone for the treatment of Alcohol Dependence

In the fight to overcome alcohol dependence various strategies are used. In some cases a single drug maybe used successfully in fighting alcohol while in other cases two or more drugs may be combined for the same course to help fighting alcohol dependence more effectively. Gabapentin can be used singly to fight alcohol dependence but it can also be combined with naltrexone for more effective action against alcohol dependence.

There are some research studies that have been done on this subject and findings published. In a July 11, 2011 Raymond F. Anton, MD, professor of psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina, and colleagues reported their findings in the July issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.

The report indicated that the addition of gabapentin to naltrexone improved drinking outcomes compared with naltrexone alone in heavy drinkers during the first 6 weeks after they stopped drinking, but when the gabapentin was stopped the effects became the same in both groups, so this shows that gabapentin was indeed responsible for the positive effects.

“From work in mice and rats we know that the underlying biology of alcohol dependence, particularly alcohol withdrawal, is mediated by two neurotransmitters — GABA [gamma-aminobutyric acid] and glutamate. Alcohol use causes these neurotransmitters to be abnormal and, particularly during alcohol withdrawal, to cause significant symptoms,” Dr. Anton told Medscape Medical News.

“We knew that the drug gabapentin works through these systems to normalize the balance of the glutamate and GABA systems in the opposite direction to what alcohol does, and we had done previous studies with gabapentin in mice and in humans showing that it reduced the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. That led to our hypothesis that using gabapentin, particularly during the first 6 weeks of attempts at abstinence, might improve the efficacy of naltrexone,” he explained.

gabapentineThis study used randomly selected 150 alcohol dependent individuals who were put on a 16-week course of naltrexone, 50 mg/d alone; naltrexone, 50 mg/d, plus gabapentin up to 1200 mg/d for the first 6 weeks; or to double placebo. They also received medical management. Most of these participants were in their mid-forties. They were dependent on alcohol and drank 12-13 alcoholic drinks per day before the study entry. By week 6, about 50% of the individuals randomly assigned to placebo or naltrexone alone had a heavy drinking day, compared with about 35% of individuals who got naltrexone plus gabapentin. But by week 16 of the study, there were no differences between the groups. This show that gabapentin works better when combined with naltrexone than when naltrexone is used alone.

Dependence on alcohol and drugs is vice that has crippled societies and that is why here at AWAREmed we are dedicated to finding the best solutions to addiction and dependence on substances. Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) is always in the mood of helping any patient to be addiction free. Do not hesitate to call on her for help in managing any sort of chronic pain as well as other diseases.

Gabapentin Is Useful In Fighting Alcohol Dependence

 

 

 

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Pain Addiction Continuum

October 2, 2014

Pain Addiction Continuum and How To Deal With It

Pain AddictionPain management is an important part of treatment especially in situations where the patient is to go through intense like during chemotherapy for cancer patients or after going through surgery.  Nobody will like to have intense pain maim him for even the least amount of time. People like to be happy and avoid anything that may bring them pain. However in some instances there has to be pain for a much serious health problem to be solved. To manage pain certain drugs are used that helps you to endure the pain, unfortunately most of these are addictive and so as you are using them to manage pain you are at risk of addiction. Opiates are the mostly used drugs in pain management and they work well in ensuring that your pain is moderated if not done away with completely. However effective they are these drugs are very rewarding and before you know it the body may be adapted to these drugs so much that you will feel like you need to take them every time and increase the dosage over a time. Due to their rewarding nature they can be easily abused and a treatment that once began on the right foot may end up being another nightmare in a person’s life hence there is need for actions to be taken to help patients not to be addicted to this pain drugs.

Now back to the point pain and addiction may occur as a continuum or just two different entities. Here we see how pain addiction continuum occurs and how to deal with it. When the drugs are given for pain management you will be using them for just that for quite a time without feeling the intense craving for them. But as time goes by and you are still using them you will begin to have craving for these drugs not only to use them within the specified dosage but you may begging to desire mega doses which is now addiction so pain addiction continuum is rather the changes that takes place in your body demanding for more of the drug and hence dependence on these drugs. The use of opiates in pain management may work well for some people while for others it may not and their treatment may work better if they stopped using the opiates therefore it is important to work with experts in this field who will know when to use and when to stop using these opiates to avoid the dangers of addiction that may come with them. This means that the treatment must have a clear exit strategy from the opiates to help the patient overcome the cravings for more of the pain drugs.

Pain management demands that the doctor must be able to assess the patient well that is before issuing a prescription and during the course of treatment. The doctor should improve patient care by bio psychosocial model assessment of   the patient’s past and even present aberrant if any of such exist. All this will help the doctor decide on how best to prescribe the drugs in dosages that will reduce risks to addiction. Today the doctors are aware that pain management drugs poise a great threat to addiction in patients unlike in the past when it was thought that if a patient did not have a history of drug abuse disorder. The risk  of getting addicted to the opiates used in pain management is higher and this fallacy and past belief that it had low chances of inducing addiction in patients with no history of substance use disorder has never served this industry. It is quite fortunate that avenues are now opening as the doctors are slowly waking up to the reality of pain addiction continuum and proper exit strategies are being developed to help the cancer patients to evade addiction. The addiction that arises from use of opiates in pain management may be caused by many factors but the biggest culprit is poor management of chronic pain.

Poorly managed chronic pain

Now that we have learnt that there is risk of addition from the use of pain management drugs like the opiates it is better to exercise better management of chronic pain. Today chronic pain is one of the nightmares that many people are fighting every day. These people can use anything given to them to kill that pain without thinking twice and this shows how vulnerable they are. It therefore calls for professionalism in dealing with these people and doctors must find better ways to manage chronic pain in a way that reduces their risk to addiction.

In the past pain had been poorly manage owing to such beliefs that I have discussed above. Patients were put on opiate drugs to kill pain without assessing them and this often led to serious health problems since every patient is unique owing to the fact that they have different history relating to the substance use disorder. There is also need to explore other ways of pain management methods as opposed to singly using the opiates in pain management. Some of the natural pain management methods that work better are discussed here.

Proliferative therapies for pain (Natural)

Prolozone™ Therapy– Dr. Frank Shallenberger pioneered this type of proliferative therapy, Prolozone therapy uses ozone, a naturally occurring form of oxygen with powerful regenerative capacity owing to its extra oxygen atom. It works by increasing oxygen circulation and delivery into the damaged areas. This helps in strengthening ligaments and tendons as well as in rebuilding cartilage in the treated joint.

Prolotherapy– this therapy was pioneered by Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop who had used it successfully to treat his chronic back pain. It is the oldest and most widely used form of proliferative therapy that has been used since the 1930’s.it involves injecting a natural substance such as dextrose to purposefully provoke mild localized inflammation. This increases the blood supply and flow of nutrients to the area, and the body responds by regenerating the damaged structures.

Pain addictionPlatelet Rich Plasma Injection (PRP) Therapy -involves the use of the body’s own platelets for treatment of pain. It involves drawing a small amount of blood that is centrifuged to separate out the plasma this creates blood that is concentrated in platelets. The high concentration of platelets in the plasma is rich in bioactive proteins and growth factors that can accelerate tissue repair and regeneration. Today this therapy is become more popular with athletes.

Here at AWAREmed we are dedicated to finding the best solutions to chronic illnesses and that is why Dr.Dalal Akoury (MD) is always in the forefront advocating for integrative medicine since it is only through integrative medicine that a person can be healed wholly. Do not hesitate to call on her for help in managing any sort of chronic pain as well as other diseases.

Pain Addiction Continuum and How To Deal With It

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Buprenorphine and opioids

October 2, 2014

Buprenorphine as Opioid Receptor Antagonist

buprenorphineBuprenorphine is a semi-synthetic opioid derived from thebaine. It is a pain killer and has gained a great deal of notoriety for its ability to interrupt severe opiate addiction, including heroin and methadone addictions. It got approved in 2002 by the FDA for use as an opiate addiction treatment. Dependence on pain drugs is common but very dangerous and that is why buprenorphine is of importance in fighting opioid independence.

Today, buprenorphine is being used in office based treatment of opioid dependent patients. Buprenorphine is a partial mu-opioid receptor agonist. Several clinical studies indicate buprenorphine is effective in managing opioid addiction and dependence. In all of the clinical tests Buprenorphine was found to be more effective than placebo for managing opioid addiction. However, it may not be superior to methadone incase high doses are needed. It is comparable to lower doses of methadone, however. When using buprenorphine, there are critical phases that must be followed. These phases include; include induction, stabilization, and maintenance. Experts advise that Buprenorphine therapy should be initiated at the onset of withdrawal symptoms and adjusted to address withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Advantages of buprenorphine include low abuse potential and high availability for office use. Disadvantages include high cost and possible lack of effectiveness in patients who require high methadone doses. Most family physicians are required to complete eight hours of training before they can prescribe buprenorphine for opioid addiction. Let’s get all the detailed facts here.

It is estimated that 898,000 adults in the United States are opioid dependent. Treating opioid dependence as a chronic disorder improves outcomes and opioid maintenance is the most effective way to decrease illicit use in patients who are addicted to opioids. Without opioid maintenance, it will be easy for any user of opiates for pain to be an addict of the same therefore various strategies must be put in place to exercise opioid maintenance for the safety of the patients. Over the past years Methadone has been the treatment of choice in the United States; however, methadone maintenance programs typically have stringent entrance criteria, long waiting lists, and primarily are located in urban areas. It has been verified that only 14 percent of patients who are addicted to opioids are treated in traditional methadone clinics. Research from the 1970s demonstrated that the analgesic buprenorphine (Subutex), a partial mu-opioid receptor agonist, may effectively treat patients with heroin addiction.

In the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 physicians are authorized to provide office-based treatment for opioid addiction. Through this act physicians are allowed to prescribe Schedule III, IV, or V “narcotic” medications that are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for patients with narcotic-use disorders. In 2002, buprenorphine and combination buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone) was approved by the FDA to manage opioid dependence .It is therefore a legally usable drug that is available in health centers and clinics.

How to use

As stated earlier the Management of opioid addiction with buprenorphine can be divided into three phases: induction, stabilization, and maintenance. The induction phase includes the initial transition from illicit opioid use to buprenorphine and typically lasts three to seven days. Patient education is important during this phase and should emphasize the risk of precipitating withdrawal if buprenorphine is initiated too soon after opioid use. Generally, buprenorphine should be initiated 12 to 24 hours after short-acting opioid use and 24 to 48 hours after long-acting opioid use. It is preferable for most patients to use combination of buprenorphine/naloxone tablets.  It is however advised that pregnant women who are to use buprenorphine and some patients using long-acting opioids such as methadone should use the buprenorphine-only formulation. For those who are on long- acting opioid use, the methadone dose should be less than 30 mg and the patient should switch to the combination tablet after several days.

When the patient has shown opioid withdrawal symptoms, the initial doses should be administered under physician observation (4/1 mg buprenorphine/naloxone or 2 mg buprenorphine if the patient is dependent on a long-acting opioid). It is important for the physician to monitor the patient for precipitated withdrawal and excessive side effects like sedation). If the patient continues to exhibit signs of opioid withdrawal after two hours, another 4/1 mg dose of buprenorphine/naloxone should be administered. Patients who are dependent on long-acting opioids should receive 2 mg buprenorphine every one to two hours. The maximum recommended first-day dosage of buprenorphine is 8 to 12 mg. If the patient continues to show signs of withdrawal, the physician may administer adjunctive nonopioid and symptomatic treatments to help the situation.

Difference between methadone and morphine

There are some differences between methadone and morphine. Some of the differences lie in their costs and uses. Here are some of the differences.

Methadone is much cheaper as compared to morphine. For this reason many physicians favor methadone. Methadone also lasts longer than morphine- it lasts ten times longer than morphine. Methadone also lasts longer than morphine in the body. It takes 24 hours while morphine takes only 2-3 hours only in the body. However methadone should not be used for slight pain despite its availability and cheaper cost.

Another difference is that methadone is excreted through urine while morphine is excreted through the liver and bile ducts before its exit in the urine.

 

BuprenorphineThese drugs are also used in different situations. Methadone is mostly used after unsuccessful use of morphine or when the patient has a history of drug abuse. If tis patient is morphine it may lead to relapse hence methadone is considered safer than morphine. Morphine is addictive while methadone is not addictive.

Here at AWAREmed we are dedicated to finding the best solutions to chronic illnesses and that is why Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) is always in the forefront advocating for integrative medicine since it is only through integrative medicine that a person can be healed wholly. Do not hesitate to call on her for help in managing any sort of chronic pain as well as other diseases.

 

Buprenorphine as Opioid Receptor Antagonist

 

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