Adopting the Right Mechanisms for Cocaine Abuse: Prevention Treatment and Home Remedies

Adopting the Right Mechanisms for Cocaine Abuse as a means of eliminating drug abuse

If we have to defeat drug use and abuse from our societies then we must chose to change the game. It must not be business as usual for both the victims and the affected. Drug abuse is decaying the moral fabric of our societies and we must all say yes to the principal of adopting the right mechanisms for cocaine abuse and other drugs. Doctor Akoury is championing for the prevention approach. She says that it is always easy to prevent than to let it happen then start treatment. In line of this fact, ideally prevention of drug abuse whether it is cocaine or any other should start early just when one is planning to get pregnant. A lot of damage is done when the baby is still in the womb that manifests itself as they grow into preadolescent years. If we can achieve this then we will be left with handling the growing preadolescent year’s cases for all children and more so for those who are at risk. When defining those at risk it would mean the inclusion of children born in families with a history of any addiction such as alcoholism and drug use. We can also further simplify the concept by teaching children to say NO to use of tobacco products, alcohol, and drugs. This may look simple but achieving it may not nonetheless if it is done then it is an excellent prevention tool. If we can keep the children and our mothers planning to give us future generations from the gateway drugs of nicotine, alcohol, and marijuana, then we may be able to prevent the escalation to harder drugs such as cocaine and therefore protect people from the long-term effects of drug use.

Adopting the Right Mechanisms for Cocaine Abuse: Diagnosis of Cocaine Abuse

Often, the final diagnosis of someone who is abusing cocaine is not made by emergency department evaluation and may require admission to the hospital, further testing, and results of tests, which take time or are not done in a hospital emergency department.

Overall, the doctor will conduct whatever tests are necessary to evaluate the symptoms of someone with cocaine-induced conditions. In addition to a physical exam and medical history, tests may include blood and urine analysis, chest X-ray, CT scans, MRI scans, and spinal tap.

• Cocaine-induced headaches can include such conditions as tension headache, stroke (bleed in head), sinusitis, meningitis, or brain abscess.
• Cocaine-induced seizures might indicate more serious problems such as bleeding in the brain, meningitis, very high blood pressure with organ injury, or low blood pressure, respiratory failure, and heart problems. Infants may experience seizures caused by parents’ smoking cocaine in their presence. It is important to note that this is a form of child abuse and should immediately be reported to local child-welfare services.
• Psychiatric complications caused by cocaine abuse may include cocainomania, anxiety, hallucinations, paranoia, psychoses, violence, major depression, suicidal or homicidal tendencies, or attempted suicide or homicide.
• Nasal and throat complications of cocaine abuse can include diagnoses of nasal itching, postnasal drip, nosebleed, sinusitis, laryngitis, and perforated nasal septum.
• Pulmonary diagnoses may include pneumonia, bronchitis, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or emphysema), asthma or reactive airway disease, or a collapsed lung.
• Cardiovascular complications include heart problems such as chest pain, heart attack, abnormal heart rhythms, and various heart conditions that can lead to sudden death.
• Pregnancy complications may include vaginal bleeding, threatened abortion, incomplete abortion, spontaneous abortion, or miscarriage. Ultrasound may be used to establish the diagnosis in these cases.
• Infectious complications may include cellulitis, shooter’s abscess, lung abscess, brain abscess, septic shock, hepatitis, and any of the opportunistic infections associated with AIDS if you are HIV infected. Poor decision making associated with cocaine abuse also increases the risk of infection with other sexually transmitted diseases.
• Body packers and stuffers may have various diagnoses depending on whether the packets leak or remain intact. If they leak, the diagnoses may be massive cocaine intoxication with seizures, high temperatures, hypertension, muscle breakdown, heart attack, abnormal heart rhythms, kidney failure, and death. If the abuser has no symptoms with normal vital signs and refuses medical care, invasive procedures may not be done until proper legal documentation has been provided.

Adopting the Right Mechanisms for Cocaine Abuse: Treatment and Home Remedies

First and foremost, the cocaine abuser must stop using the drug and other drugs that accompany its use. Not many complications of cocaine use can be treated at home. The most common complications are psychiatric in nature.

• Anxiety, mild agitation, loss of appetite, insomnia, irritability, mild panic attacks, mild depression, and mild headaches could probably be treated at home by quitting use of the drug and observing the user.
• Runny noses, nasal congestion, and brief nosebleeds can also be cared for at home by stopping the drug, increasing the humidity of the air breathed in with vaporizers and humidifiers, and direct nasal pressure for 10 minutes to stop the nosebleed. Apply a topical antibiotic such as bacitracin or petroleum jelly to help with the drying and crusting. Avoid nose picking.
• The chronic cough or coughing up of black non-bloody phlegm can be treated again by cessation of cocaine smoking and other drugs such as tobacco or marijuana. Over-the-counter cough medicines containing the ingredient guaifenesin, the active compound in Robitussin, plus increased water drinking may help.
• IV drug users who continue to use cocaine may lower their exposure to communicable diseases and infection by not reusing or sharing needles. Cleansing the skin properly prior to the injection also decreases the risk of infection.

Adopting the Right Mechanisms for Cocaine Abuse: Follow-up

It is important that strict adherence of a follow-up program should be observed without any amendments as was presented on discharge from the hospital. When one is addicted to drugs the whole family suffers therefore treatment options should be tailored to meet the individual’s family needs. The extended relatives should also be included in the treatment plan where is possible. This may consist of follow-ups with a drug counselor for therapy, as well as treatment by a psychiatrist, family doctor, internist, infectious-disease specialist, obstetrician, general surgeon or heart surgeon. Finally dear reader, the principal of adopting the right mechanisms for cocaine abuse should be seen as a stepping stone to lasting solutions. This is very important because since there is little medication treatment for cocaine addiction, rehabilitation becomes one of the best options you have. This can be professionally done at the home of solutions (AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under Doctor Akoury’s care) when you visit us at this facility we will focus on developing a good working relationship with you (cocaine addict) to professionally address the underlying strengths and helping you develop strategies for recovery which will include abstaining from drug use and reducing their cravings. Up on scheduling for an appointment with doctor Akoury, your situation will be evaluated and in confidence offer the best treatment recovery approach.

Adopting the Right Mechanisms for Cocaine Abuse: Prevention Treatment and Home Remedies