Tag Archives: Substance abuse medication

Alcohol kills

Alcohol double tragedy and medication interactions

May 31, 2017
Alcohol double tragedy

Alcohol double tragedy and medication interactions, when scrutinized well many casualties, can be prevented

Alcohol double tragedy and medication interactions: Mixing alcohol and medications

We are all not ignorant that alcohol is the most abused substance by many users and the consequences are seriously devastating. What is worrying is that even with this knowledge, many people are still drinking disorderly and to further complicate the matter, they are not only drinking but are also using other toxic substances as accompaniments in their drinking spree. This is what we want to focus on even as we look at the alcohol double tragedy and associated complications and possible medication interactions. Speaking to the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury who is also the founder of the facility, we were able to establish that alcohol consumption often has very harmful interactions with prescription medications, over-the-counter drugs, and even some herbal remedies. To shade more light on this doctor Akoury registers that the interaction of alcohol with other prescribed medications is likely to cause problems including nausea and vomiting, headaches, drowsiness, dizziness, fainting, changes in blood pressure, abnormal behavior, loss of coordination and even savvier accidents. And besides that it is also very important to appreciate that mixing alcohol with other medications may also increase the risk of complications such including but not limited to the following:

  • Liver damage
  • Heart problems
  • Internal bleeding
  • Impaired breathing
  • Depression

Alcohol double tragedy and medication interactions: Chronic health complications

In instances where such chronic health complications are present in an individual’s life, it is only fair for that person to seek for medication immediately. Nonetheless when medication is administered, in some cases, the consistent use of alcohol may decrease the effectiveness of such medications or render them useless all together says doctor Akoury. And yet in other cases, doctor Akoury adds that alcohol interactions may make drugs more harmful or even toxic to the body. And when we make reference to alcohol usage, it is important to note that even what is considered moderate consumption of alcohol may also intensify medication side effects such as sleepiness, drowsiness, and light-headedness, which may interfere with the individuals’ concentration and ability to operate machinery or drive responsibly on the road thereby causing serious or even fatal accidents.

It is therefore very essential that when using any kind of medication, careful attention should be taken since alcohol can adversely interact with hundreds of commonly used medications. In that respect, taking time to scrutinize and make a clear observation on the warning labels and ask your doctor or pharmacist questions if it’s safe to use alcohol with any medications and even other herbal remedies that you may be using. In the meantime, having known the adverse effects of alcohol dual complications, it is very crucial that you continually seek expert opinion from doctor Dalal Akoury from time to time throughout your addiction recovery journey.

Alcohol double tragedy and medication interactions: Mixing alcohol and medications

 

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Military forces addiction and drug abuse

February 7, 2017
Military forces addiction

Military forces addiction and drug abuse is becoming very common and it is now time to let it go for good health to prevail

Military forces addiction and drug abuse: What is not known to the public?

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 addiction has not been a topic of discussion for 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. Doctor Dalal Akoury MD is a veteran addiction expert for over two decades founded AWAREmed health and wellness resource center to primarily help everyone including the military forces agrees that, 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 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 or not. We all know that respect is earned and never forced. 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 likely 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.

Military forces addiction and drug abuse: 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. If you’re in the forces and this describes you, help is just a phone call away and doctor Akoury will help you out professionally.

Military forces addiction and drug abuse: What is not known to the public?

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Substance abuse medications for quick recovery

November 19, 2016
Substance abuse medications

relax substance abuse medications for quick recovery is possible

Substance abuse medications for quick recovery: Effective treatment practice

The scourge of addiction in the current generation is likely to go out of hand if timely remedial actions are not taken. Because of the tender age with which people get into drugs, doctor Dalal Akoury MD and founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center reiterates that substance abuse medication for quick recovery is the way out into solving this problem. Medications can be used to help with different aspects of the treatment process including:

Substance abuse medications for quick recovery: Withdrawal

From the past experience it is worth noting that medications is very essential as it facilitates the process of suppressing withdrawal symptoms during detoxification. And besides that it is also important to note that, medically assisted detoxification is not in itself treatment of an addiction, as a matter of fact, it is only the first step in the treatment process. It therefore means that patients who go through medically assisted withdrawal and fail to go for any further treatment show drug abuse patterns similar to those who were never treated.

Substance abuse medications for quick recovery: Treatment

Medications can be used to help re-establish normal brain function and to prevent relapse and diminish cravings. Currently, we have medications for opioids which may include heroin and morphine, tobacco (nicotine), and alcohol addiction. Efforts are also being made in developing others for treatment of stimulant e.g. cocaine, methamphetamine etc. and cannabis (marijuana) addiction. Most people with severe addiction problems, however, are poly-drug users meaning that they are using more than one drug at the sometime.  Such people will definitely require treatment for all of the substances that they abuse like for instance:

  1. Opioids: Methadone, buprenorphine and, for some individuals, naltrexone are effective medications for the treatment of opiate addiction. Acting on the same targets in the brain as heroin and morphine, methadone and buprenorphine suppress withdrawal symptoms and relieve cravings. Naltrexone works by blocking the effects of heroin or other opioids at their receptor sites and should only be used in patients who have already been detoxified. All medications help patients disengage from drug seeking and related criminal behavior and become more receptive to behavioral treatments.
  2. Tobacco: A selection of preparations of nicotine replacement therapies now exist including the patch, spray, gum, and lozenges that are available over the counter. In addition, two prescription medications have been FDA–approved for tobacco addiction: bupropion and varenicline. They have different mechanisms of action in the brain, but both help prevent relapse in people trying to quit. Each of the above medications is recommended for use in combination with behavioral treatments, including group and individual therapies.
  3. Alcohol: Three medications have been approved by FDA for treating alcohol dependence: naltrexone, acamprosate and disulfiram.

Finally it is true that sometimes treatment compliance can be a problem, but among patients who are highly motivated, disulfiram can be very effective. And because we have an objective to meet, if you are experiencing any challenge along the way or even after recovery, you can always schedule for an appointment with the experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center for a one on one professional advice.

Substance abuse medications for quick recovery: Effective treatment practices

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