Sedatives and Chronic Pain Treatment

July 28, 2014

Sedatives and Chronic Pain Treatment

What are sedatives?

Sedatives refers to the drugs which when administered to a patient, they reduce tension and anxiety and cause sedation. They are drugs which cause calmness when taken by the patient. In chronic pain treatment, these drugs are administered with a purpose to kill the pain that the patient is experiencing. This is not a common medication though and it will only be made available to the public if the clinical trials have shown that the benefits of using the drug seemingly outweigh its adverse risks.

How are sedatives administered?

Sedatives are administered to patients in many ways. The mode in which the sedation is given will though be determined by the area on which the pain is being experienced. The modes through which sedation can be administered include:-

ü Through inhalation- through nose

ü Through mouth (oral)

ü Under the tongue

ü Or sometimes administered intravenously i.e. through the veins.

Is sedation helpful in pain relief?

Yes. Sedation is a medication that has been specifically developed to help people who are experiencing pain. This medication works by calming the nervous system and hence making the patient not to feel any pain. Sometime when you are experiencing chronic pain, it may be difficult for you to concentrate on anything or even have sleep. Sedation in this case can prove helpful to you.

Does sedation cure chronic pain?

There has been confusion in many people who use sedation and think they are treating pain. Sedation is not a curative medication for pain, but it is only meant to help the patient by providing temporary relief from pain.

Under what circumstances will sedation be important?

As earlier mentioned, these medicines should only be used when prescribed by a doctor, because they are known to be habit forming. This will make them less effective the next time you will need to use them.

This medication is normally in most cases prescribed to the patients who are experiencing difficulties in sleep. This is because it is very difficult for a person experiencing severe pain to get any sleep. In this case, the doctor will prescribe sedative medication which will help the patient in killing the pain and consequently the patient gets sleep.

Are there thing I should avoid when under sedation treatment?

Yes. Sedation if not well taken care of can be hazardous. Depending with the level of sedation, (e.g. Deep sedation) taking of other drugs like alcohol as this may cause extreme drowsiness and this can reduce breathing and if intense, death may occur.

When you will also want to stop taking sedation medication E.g. for sleep aid, do not stop abruptly. Instead discuss it with your doctor to be advised on how to gradually withdraw. The abrupt stoppage may subject you to withdrawal symptoms.

Which are the types of sedation?

The type of sedation medication to be administered to the patient will be determined by the doctor when the patient visits the doctor. This choice will though be based of the intended effect of the sedative in terms of intensity. The following are the common types of sedative medication:-

Minimal sedation – when this sedation is administered, the patients respond normally to verbal communications since this is a light sedative medication. Sometimes this method may though impair cognitive function and coordination, breathing in unaffected.
Moderate sedation – this is also referred to as cognitive sedation and the patient remains conscious and an respond purposefully to verbal commands either alone or by light simulation.
Deep sedation – if this type of sedation is administered to a patient, the patient cannot be easily aroused but responds to painful simulation. The patient may require assistance to breath.
General Anesthesia – this is normally a very serious sedation treatment and its intensity is high. The patient cannot be aroused even by inducing pain on him/her. Breathing ability may completely be impaired.

Does sedation have any side effects?

Sedatives Almost all drugs, prescribed or over the counter will have some side effects. In this case, sedation is no exception. Some of the powerful sedation medicines have very high chances of causing addiction to the patient, especially if they are abused. Apart from the risk of addition, these drugs may also sometimes produce unpleasant reaction to the patient. It is important to note that the reaction that results from different patients when they take a given drug is quite different and hence it is vital after you see a negative reaction to the drug you see your doctor as soon as possible.

Is sedation same as opioids treatment?

Not really. As mentioned earlier, sedation refers to the medication which is normally given to the pain experiencing patient in order to bring about calmness. On the other hand, opioids are curative mediations which are given to pain experiencing patient with aim of not just giving them a temporal relief from the pain but to get them a permanent solution to the pain. Therefore, in simple terms the difference between the two is that opioids are medications that cure pain while sedatives are medications meant to calm or cool down the pain. Both medications should be administered by a qualified physician though, to avoid risks of addiction.

Sedatives and Chronic Pain Treatment

The nature and stages of Drug use

July 22, 2014

The nature and stages of drug use – Drug Addiction

Whatever the reason may be this young children must not suffer because of your choice to use drugs

The problem of substance abuse and drug addiction is such a big issue of concern to all the stakeholders. Everybody is looking at this problem will wonder as to where is the point of disconnect because it appears that all that needs to be done is not being done either by the authorities or the individual addicts. For instance who doesn’t know the consequences of drug use! Yet we are still seeing the number of people being addicted to drugs increasing. I believe that you are equally wondering what it is, that we are missing. We will be looking at certain factors relating to the nature of drug use in this article to unlock the riddle behind this great concern.

The nature of drug use

For us to have a better understanding why people use drugs it will be necessary that we look at some three identical factors explaining the nature of drug use. These factors include:

The individuals personality
The type of drug you take
The context of your drug use

These factors are related and can’t be disconnected. They influence your reasons for using a drug and the effects it will have on you. We need to understand that there are different levels of drug use with different types of problems. Users may move between the different levels of drug use, for example one may have started using drugs heavily but along the way stops and begins to recover from the effects of drugs use. But then again in the process of recovery they may relapse and return to the same old habit of drug use. It is important noting that it is not automatic that when using drugs then this behavior will definitely lead to drug abuse, this is not always the case because drug use is totally different from drug abuse. Now let us look at some of the stages of drug use as follows:

Experimental use

In the holy book the author begins with these words “in the beginning God …” and so in everything we do there must be the starting point. The same with drugs one must have started from somewhere. Normally young people will try using drugs for the first time as an experiment and this is what we call the experimental stage. In the desire of wanting to feel accepted and belong to certain category of friends they try drugs to have the feelings their friend have. This stage greatly depends on various factors like the accessibility of the drug, the kind of friends you keep and often the current trend or fashion. Because one is testing the feelings you may continue using drugs or may stop along the way once your curiosity is satisfied. However this type of drug use is very risky for young people because many of them are not aware of the dangerous effects of indulgence into drugs.

Recreational drug use

This is another stage of drugs use where users indulges into drugs for marry making and having fun periodically like weekly and especially during the weekends doing this regularly makes it becomes part of your social life. Users of this stage often feel that they are in full control over their drug use and so even if they consume more they do not feel that this can lead them into being addicted to the drugs they use. This type of drug use only applies to certain drugs and contexts, for example ecstasy and dance culture. Most people who take recreational drugs see it as a ‘normal’ activity in their social circle.

Dependent drug use

Drugs has way of containing their users, you may think that you are on top of everything but this may not be so using drugs over period of time heavily you may not be able to control your usage. When you reach this point where you can’t control we call this dependence or addiction which may either be physical or psychological. Where physical dependence means that your body systems craves for drugs and psychological dependence is when you feel that you cannot cope without the drug you are using. It is important to know that this level of drug use usually happens on your own or in a small group. As well as making you sick, it often causes emotional, psychological and social problems.

Abstainers

These are those individuals who have chosen not to use any kind of drugs completely or if they ever used then they have stopped and have not only used them for a very long time but does not ever want to use drugs again.

These are therefore some of the stages of drug use and having discussed them we are now left wondering actually why do people use drugs?

Why people take drugs

There are many reasons why people take drugs and here are some of the factor which can influence them:

Risk taking – people are drawn to risk taking differently. They may use drugs to fit in with their social group or to help them cope, for a sense of release or individual transformation, or for the thrill.
Predisposition – it may be because of your genetic or psychological characteristics meaning you are more likely to take drugs.
Experimentation – some people try drugs for the first time as an experiment and out of curiosity or because their friends are doing it. They want to explore to see how it affects them and talk about their experiences with their friends afterwards.

Gender and age – the age you are when you first try drugs can influence how you will go on to use them. For example, the younger you are when you start drinking alcohol, the more likely you are to try hard drugs later on. Young men are more likely to experiment with drugs than women. However, heavy drug use can cause more damage to young women.
Peer group – this can cause one into drugs in two different ways like the group of people you relate with can pressure you into taking drugs or you may choose to hung out with people who are into the same things as they are.
Availability – the easier it is to get drugs, the more likely you are to use them. This will also influence the type of drugs you use.
Family, social and environmental factors – people who live in a ‘deprived’ state, where the risk factors are high and the protective factors low, have a higher risk of using drugs. In terms of family, the important factor is how happy and stable your family life is, rather than whether you have two parents or not.

Finally dear reader drugs are not good for your health or anyone for that matter doctor Akoury the chief executive of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center founded this facility to help people with addiction related problem, if you are one she will be of great help and care for you in the most natural way to have your life back. Call on her and get the best because she will focus on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE.

The nature and stages of drug use – Drug Addiction

Quitting Smoking

July 17, 2014

Quitting Smoking – Drug Addiction

If there is anything good you can do for yourself, is to quite smoking and kick it out of not just your life but also out of your neighborhood.

Have you ever wondered how and why smokers turn themselves in kitchen chimney that billows smoke from the very vital organs of their bodies! What amazes me is that all smokers are not ignorance of what the dangers they are putting themselves to. Despite of all the warnings visibly indicated on the packaging and all adverts run people still smoke as if smoking gives them certain values in life. This is very disturbing and we have deliberately decided to create an impact into seeing people adopt positive behaviors that do not endanger their own lives and that of others around them. It is my wish that reading this article will help you make the right decision of quitting your habit of smocking and if you are not a smoker then you will be able to help someone who is already smoking. I will then ask you a simple question do you want to quit smoking? If your answer is yes then I hope this article will be helpful to you.

Dear reader I want to bring to your attention a few facts about smoking and quitting. It is all about good news in stopping smoking because just within hours of stopping cigarettes smoking, your body begins to recover almost immediately from the effects of nicotine and all additives. Blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature all of which are raised because of the nicotine in cigarettes normalize to healthier levels. The capacity of your lung also increases and the bronchial tubes feels relaxed making breathing much easier. The toxic carbon monoxide in your blood also decreases permitting the blood to transport more oxygen within the body’s systems. I can tell you for sure that quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for your own health.

Challenges in Quitting Smoking

This is not an easy exercise by all means but it is not impossible either, the difficulties will depend on a number of factors like:

The number of cigarettes sticks you smoke on a daily basis.
The kind of association you keep if you relate with smokers and spend time with them a lot then there will be problems.
What motivates you into smoking (weight control, social situations, peer pressure)

These are challenges you are likely to face in your journey to quitting smoking and you must be ready to face them positively.

Smoking is so addictive

One will not be penalized to blame nicotine the main drug element in tobacco, for their smoking addiction. When you smoke the brain quickly becomes friendly to the nicotine and develops tolerance for it increasing the urge to smoke more so as to achieve the same rush you often get from smoking a single stick of cigarette. Smoking cigarette is addictive and for your information nicotine acts on the same pathways as cocaine. However tolerance will occur when your brain attempts to keep itself balanced. Chemicals from the cigarette cause the brain to discharge chemicals called norepinephrine and dopamine. Too much discharge of these two chemicals causes the brain chemistry to get unbalanced and discharges its own anti-nicotine chemicals when one smokes. These “anti-nicotine” chemicals would make you feel down, depressed, and tired if you were not smoking and over time the brain will be able to foresee when you need to smoke and discharges the ant-nicotine chemicals which will make you feel tired, depressed and desires to smoke a cigarette.

Addiction to cigarette smoking is influenced by different trigger. A trigger is anything your brain associates with smoking easily. Smokers do not have the same triggers it could be:

The smell of cigarette smoke
A cigarette smoke ashtray put next to you
Seeing a carton of cigarettes at the store
Having certain food or drinks
The ending a good meal
Talking to someone with whom you normally smoke cigarettes.
Sometimes just the way you feel (sad or happy) is a trigger.

One of the biggest keys to quitting smoking understands the triggers that make you crave for smoking.

Desire to Quit Smoking – There is many ways of quitting smoking and they work differently to people some work better than others. The best approach is to choose a method which will challenge you to quit, but also one that you can achieve.

Behavioral therapy – With behavioral therapy, you visit a therapist who will help you find the most effective way to quit. The therapist will help you to identify your triggers, come up with ways to get through cravings, and provide emotional support when you need it most.

Nicotine replacement therapy – Nicotine gum, patches, inhalers, sprays, and lozenges are nicotine replacement therapies also known as NRT. Replacement therapy works by giving you nicotine without using tobacco. You may be more likely to quit smoking if you use nicotine replacement therapy however for persons age 18, your doctor’s consent to use nicotine replacement therapy will be necessary. This therapy works best when combined with behavioral therapy and lots of support from friends and family.

Medicine – Some drugs, including Zyban and Chantix, are formulated to help people quit smoking. You must never administer these on your own a prescription must come from your doctor.

Combination treatments – Using a combination of treatment methods can increase your chances of quitting e.g. by using both a nicotine patch and gum may be better than a patch alone. Other confirmed combination treatments include:

Behavioral therapy and nicotine replacement therapy
Prescription medication with a nicotine patch
Nicotine patch and nicotine spray.

What If I Start Smoking Again?

To go back to your old habit is known to us relapse which is normal in strong addictions like smoking. If this happens to you, you must not give up because you are not alone in relapsing. Many people will relapse many times before quitting permanently. I want to encourage you not to give up on this journey quitting is a process that might take some time and you will need the advice and guidance from addiction experts. Dr. Dalal Akoury is one of the many you can seek help from. She has been offering addiction treatment in a very unique way to many people globally for over two decades now. In her quest to serve you better she founded AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center a facility offering exclusive NER Recovery Treatment to all people from all works of life including other physicians and health care professionals through training, clinical apprenticeships, webinars and seminars. Your condition will be best attended to at this facility where only qualified professional serve. Welcome and be part of this truly successful and fast addiction recovery treatment.

Quitting Smoking – Drug Addiction

Drug abuse in the Military Forces

July 15, 2014

Drug abuse in the military forces – What is not known to the public

These are our men and women entrusted with securing our boarders. we have a duty to protect them from drug addiction for them to protect us effectively.

When defining drug addiction you will probably include in your definition the fact that addiction does not discriminate on personality or status or otherwise, this is very true and practical. The effects of drug abuse in our military forces has not been a topic of discussion the public for a very long time but his does not mean that the men and women in uniform do not suffer from the scourge of drug addiction. It may be true that the rate of illicit drug abuse may be lower among the military personnel compared to the civilians, but studies reveals that excessive use of alcohol and cigarette smoking are more dominant with the military forces compared to the civilian.

The kind of life lived in the confinement of barracks is that of forced respect to the superiors. It is forced because in most cases the rules require the officers to give a “yes sir” response irrespective of whether this is the correct response to be given. We all know that respect is earned and never forced on anyone. Again this trend normally causes stress to the officers who have no say whenever they are being deployed during wartime. Zero-tolerance policies and stigma pose difficulties in detecting and treating substance use problems in military personnel this is also compounded by lack of confidentiality which discourages many who may require treatment from pursuing it.

Those with multiple deployments and combat exposure are at greatest risk of developing substance use problems. They are more apt to engage in new-onset heavy weekly drinking and binge drinking, to suffer alcohol- and other drug-related problems, and to have greater prescribed use of behavioral health medications. They are also more likely to start smoking or relapse to smoking.

Illegal and Prescription Drugs

The question of drug abuse in the forces much as it is real it has not been very much rampant compared to the abuse among the civilians. The use of illicit drugs has been very minimal mainly because of the strict adherence to the zero tolerance rule for drug use among the department of Defense (DoD) this is according to the studies conducted by DoD. This decrease has been on the decline since this rule was first introduced about two decades ago. This zero tolerance policy is at the moment being applied without notice to the soldiers by running frequent tests on the soldiers. The consequences of testing positive to any illicit substance are very stern and the soldiers found positive can be unceremoniously be dismissed from the force besides being prosecuted in the court of law.

It is also interesting to note that despite efforts made to contain the use of illegal substances in the forces the same has not been properly done to the abuse of prescription drugs which statistics has revealed to be on the increase and is being abused almost on a willing basis and in relation to the civilian population. The same report of DoD indicated that misuse of prescription drugs in the forces went up progressively from just 2% in the year 2002 to 11% in 2008 that is a hooping 9% increase with opioid pain medications being misused the most by the service members.

This great misuse is attributed to the fact that these drugs are easily available and are commonly prescribed to them from time to time for pain relieving reasons. The urge to using the pain relieving prescription drugs is necessitated by the fact that service men normally attain injuries in the line of duty and are consistently straining as a result of bearing the burden of carrying heavy equipment during multiple deployments rendering them to have consistent body aches.

Drinking and Smoking

The men and women in uniform are also rooted in the use of alcohol and cigarette smoking as compared to the civilian population. Studies established that close to half of active duty service members (that is about 47%) reported binge drinking. This behavior is common especially with those service men and women with high combat exposer.

Suicides and Substance Use

Suicide rates in the military were traditionally lower than among civilians in the same age range, but in 2004 the suicide rate in the U.S. Army began to climb, surpassing the civilian rate in 2008. Substance use is involved in many of these suicides. The 2010 report of the Army Suicide Prevention Task Force found that 29 percent of active duty Army suicides from fiscal year (FY) 2005 to FY 2009 involved alcohol or drug use; and in 2009, prescription drugs were involved in almost one third of them.

Addressing the Problem

There can never be a problem without a solution. From our discussion it is evident that drugs abuse is alive and kicking within the forces. Finding solutions must be prioritized to keep our states safe because we all know what addiction can do to our lives and especially if the victim is one entrusted with the protection of lives of many defenseless citizens. Therefore it is important that:

The authorities must ensure that proper investigations is done and adopt increasing the use of evidence-based prevention and treatment interventions and expanding access to care.
There is need to broadening insurance coverage to include effective outpatient treatments and better equipping healthcare providers to recognize and screen for substance use problems so they can refer patients to appropriate, evidence-based treatment when needed.
It is also necessary that measures be taken towards limiting access to alcohol on bases.
It is also important that in addressing substance use in the military there is need to ensure patient/individuals confidentiality and shifting a cultural climate in which drug problems are stigmatized and evoke fear in people suffering from them.
Proper controls must be put in place limiting the duration of prescriptions for opioid pain relievers to 6 months and having a pharmacist monitor soldier’s medications when multiple prescriptions are being used

Finally doing all these are very necessary however it must be known that substance abuse is a medical condition which needs medical solution. Seeking the services of an experience medical doctor is very important. A visit at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center a medical facility founded by Doctor Akoury is the best place you can be when addiction knock your door. At this facility doctor Akoury together with her experience team of experts will not help your condition get better but they will also focus on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE. This is the place you need to be for ant addiction related problem and you will have your life back in and with the real addiction professionals.

Drug abuse in the military forces – What is not known to the public

Understanding Drug Addiction

July 14, 2014

Drug addiction treatment

Drug addiction is normally a very complex illness which is sometimes accompanied by intense craving which may be uncontrollable to the addict even when there is a direct danger posed by the substance.

Drug Addiction

The key principles to effective drug treatment

There are principles which have been proven to work effectively in ensuring that the patient regains normal life. These principles are:-

The first principle is to realize that addiction is by itself a complex which alters the normal functioning of brain but it is curable.
Secondly, it is important to understand there is never single treatment which is appropriate to everyone, and hence treatment of each individual should be examined and given independent treatment.
Counseling is very important, especially when treating individual or group from drug addiction.
Each individual’s treatment should be regularly assessed to know the patient’s progress and correct adjustments to the treatment made. This ensures suitability of medication to every patient.
Scientifically it has been proven that many drug addicts also have other mental disorders. Thus, the appropriate treatment should seek to address not only the addiction but also the mental problems.
Another important principal in drug treatment is that, the treatment doesn’t have to be voluntary to be effective. The patient doesn’t have to be left to make decisions on whether, when and how he/she should be treated. Since in many occasions drug addiction comes with mental disorders, it is vital not to leave decision making in the hands of the patient.
The patient’s drug taking during treatment should be monitored, since lapses do occur especially when the patient cannot withstand the craving of the drugs during withdrawal.
Another principle is that, treatment should be readily available and in the reach of the patient when need be. The patient will be faced with challenges such as craving and necessity of medication adjustments. Therefore, it is very important that medication can be accessed when need be.
Also another important principle is that, any effective drug treatment should address multiple individual’s needs and not just addiction. The medication should not only revolve around treatment of addiction itself, without looking to address the needs of the individual.
Treatment period- remaining in treatment for adequately appropriate time is vital. The patient should be maintained under medication until it is ascertained that he/she has fully recovered. Stoppage of medication before the patient fully recovers may result to resistance to future medication after relapse and obviously the craving symptoms may follow the patient leading the patient back to the consumption of the addicting substance.
Importantly also, the treatment should assess the patient’s presence of other diseases like arthritis, tuberculosis, hepatitis B and C and other infectious diseases. This will help in putting the patient under good conditions which will prevent the risk of contracting or even spreading an infectious disease.

Drug Addiction

Proven effective treatment approaches

For effective treatment, combination of both medication and therapy has worked well before. The process of treatment regularly begins with detoxification which aims at reducing or eliminating the effect of drug substance in the body. It is then followed by treatment and lapse prevention. The treatment process should be well monitored to ease the withdrawal symptoms and prevent lapse.

Medication

In any drug recovery program, medication is very important. It will help in different aspects of treatment process.

Medication importance on withdrawal – withdrawal under normal circumstances is accompanied by variety of symptoms which seek to return the patient to the consumption of addictive substance. These symptoms especially craving in some circumstances it may seem to be out of patient’s capacity to resist, especially when it is a drug related addiction. Medication in this case becomes important as it will try to suppress the withdrawal symptoms during detoxification. It is important to note that however, medically assisted detoxification in itself it is not a treatment but just the first step in the treatment process. The patient must complete the treatment process otherwise he/she will be similar to those never treated.

Medication vitality in Treatment – treatment is an important aspect in drug addiction recovery. It can be used to re-establish normal brain functioning and to prevent relapse and to minimize cravings. This agent of drug recovery requires intensive examination of the patient, to establish the type of addictive drug substance the patent is addicted of, and hence streamline appropriate treatment procedure. It has been found out that, many of the drug addicts consume more than one drug and hence their addiction may sometimes not be as a result of just one drug. Treatment of this kind of addiction must seek to address each of these addictions based on the underlying cause. Treatment of these individual drugs addiction will look at the class of the substance, whether it is an Opioid, tobacco or alcohol etc. this will form a good foundation for treatment to be built on. For more details, call or visit AWAREmed and get a professional advice.

Tag Archives: Drug