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Drug abuse medications necessities

June 15, 2017
Drug abuse medications

Drug abuse medications is the only way of escape

Drug abuse medications: Effective treatment practices

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 drug abuse medication for a quick recovery is the way out into solving this problem. Medications can be used to help with different aspects of the treatment process including:

Drug abuse medications: Withdrawal

From the past experience, it is worth noting that medications are 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.

Drug abuse medications: 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:

a)    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.

b)    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.

c)     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.

Drug abuse medications: Effective treatment practices

 

 

 

 

 

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Treatment for Alcoholism

August 11, 2014

Treatment for Alcoholism – Drug Addiction

Alcoholism

Alcoholism treatment can be done in various ways. group therapy and support from family and friends is also very essential

It has been established that alcohol is one of the most addictive and abused substance the world over and the most surprising point is that despite its known dangers to human life, it is not listed among the illegal drugs thereby allowing its consumption freely. All the efforts the authorities are putting in place to put control to the usage of alcohol has not yielded much because today alcohol still remains the number one abused drug globally. Because of the magnitude of health complications associated with alcohol consumption, we will be discussing in our subsequent articles about various effects of alcohol to human life but for the purpose of this article we will look at the possible treatment available to those who have been considered to be alcoholics. There are many medical options for treating alcohol use disorders which generally depends partly on the intensity and the duration of the patient has been drinking. The treatment options may include:

  • Behavioral therapy like individual sessions with a health professional and support groups
  • Medications

In administering treatment for alcoholism your doctor will do a brief intervention to help the patient to reduce or stop their drinking. During this process your doctor will give you an action plan for working on your drinking. The action plan may include:

  • Keeping a daily diary of how much alcohol you consume
  • Setting targeted goals for your drinking
  • If you’ve reached alcoholism stage then anti-craving or aversion medication may be recommended.

Treatment for Alcoholism – Overall Treatment Goals

The ultimate goal for goal for alcoholism treatment is to secure patients total abstinence. When this is achieved it offers a better survival rates, mental health and sound marriages. Patients who attain this often become good and responsible parents, employees or employers compared to those who keeps relapsing. Achieving this may not be an easy task and therefore the patient will need to avoid high-risk situations and interchange the addictive patterns with much more useful and satisfying activities and behaviors. Many professionals may choose to treat alcoholism as chronic disease where patients will be expected to accept relapse even as they purpose for a long remission period as possible. Every step taken is an achievement because even very small reduction of alcohol intake is significant enough to lower the risk for alcohol-related medical problems.

It is highly regarded that achieving total abstinence and a voiding high risk situations are the optimal goals for alcoholics. This should also be supplemented by involving family members and friends by way of educating them on how to offer social support to the addicts. When it is approached from different directions like that then some level of success will be achieved.

Treatment for Alcoholism – Inpatient and Outpatient Treatment

Inpatient Treatment – this is usually a reserved for patients whose conditions of alcoholism places them in danger normally this is done in a general or psychiatric hospital or in any other facility dedicated to treatment of alcohol and other substance abuse. Factors that indicate a need for this type of treatment include:

  • Coexisting medical or psychiatric disorder
  • Delirium tremens (a neurological condition associated with withdrawal that involves uncontrollable trembling, sweating, anxiety, and hallucinations or other symptoms of psychosis)
  • Potential harm to self or others
  • Failure to respond to conservative treatments
  • Disruptive home environment

A typical inpatient regimen may include the following stages:

  • A physical and psychiatric work-up for any physical or mental disorders
  • Detoxification – this phase involves initiating abstinence, managing withdrawal symptoms and complications, and ensuring that the patient remains in treatment
  • On-going treatment with medications in some cases
  • Psychotherapy, usually cognitive behavioral therapy
  • An introduction to AA

Some studies have established better success rates with inpatient treatment of patients with alcoholism. However resent studies strongly suggest that alcoholism can be effectively treated in outpatient settings as opposed to the inpatient.

Outpatient Treatment – People with mild-to-moderate withdrawal symptoms are usually treated as outpatients. Basically treatments methods are similar to those in inpatient situations and may include:

  • Psychotherapy or counseling
  • Medications that target brain chemicals involved in addiction
  • Social support groups such as AA
  • Cognitive therapies
  • Involvement of family and other significant people in patient’s life

The current approach to outpatient treatment uses medical management a disease management approach that is used for chronic illnesses such as diabetes. With medical management, patients receive regular 20-minute sessions with a health care provider. The provider monitors the patient’s medical condition, medication, and alcohol consumption.

After-Care and Work Therapy – this kind of care uses services to help maintain sobriety. For example, in some cities, sober-living houses provide residences for people who are trying to stay sober. They do not offer formal treatment services, but the people living there offer each other support and maintain an abstinent environment.

The treatment of alcoholism is a process that involves many stages and serious commitment to the recovery process. When an addict makes the first and most important step of seeking for help the journey will be along one and a difficult one for that matter. Like indicated earlier treatment process may be complicated and fall back or relapsing may be the order of the day. But in all this you must take courage because you have chosen a worthy course for your life and that of people around you. Seeking for professional help along the way would be a good idea. For instance you may visit AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center a medical facility established by doctor Dalal Akoury who is a medical doctor of over two decades of practice. Doctor Akoury has been helping many people overcome their addiction problems across the state and the world over in the most natural and efficient way. Your addiction condition will be professionally handled in her care while focusing on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE and you will have your life back and live it to the fullest.

Treatment for Alcoholism – Drug Addiction

 

 

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Outpatient addiction treatment naturally

February 23, 2014

Outpatient addiction treatment naturally

Outpatient Addiction Treatment

Outpatient addiction Treatment

addiction must be fought hard and addiction outpatient treatment in one way

There are many types of addiction treatments available in the market, outpatient addiction treatment being one of them. It must be noted that for one to realize positive recovery the problem of addiction must be fought as hard as is practically, some type of treatment are absolutely crucial. There are certain people of whom outpatient treatment can be the best choice, but there are others who run the risk of relapsing if they try this type of treatment.  I will therefore throughout this article, take a keen look not only just at the fundamentals of outpatient treatment, but also the kinds of people who will be the most successful with this particular method of treatment.

Outpatient Addiction Treatment-Natural treatments

Users who are thinking about an outpatient course of treatment absolutely should have a strong sense of absolute commitment. There are levels of freedom and independence attached to this type of treatment, and it requires a certain amount of self-discipline. However, any person thinking about outpatient care has to be able to remain abstinent for an absolute minimum of seventy two hours, or three days. Having a lot of support from friends, family members, and so on, is also necessary. If you have a lot of responsibilities in your day to day life, this type of treatment may also be the best choice for you.

Patients who are considering this type of treatment will have to be extensively evaluated. Their condition must be studied to make sure that this treatment will help them and that they will be able to be successful at it. No matter how much you might want to take advantage of outpatient care, it may not be right to you. An evaluation might determine that you will do better with inpatient care, which is often more intense and offers less independence. However, depending on your circumstances, that might be a good thing.

Naturally, when you are an outpatient, you get to stay at home. However, you have to realize that a lot of things will still be expected of you. Outpatients still have to go to rehabilitation programs, meetings, and so on, and they have to do some of their treatments within a facility. Not everything can be done at home, and even outpatients will be required to do some things at a facility. Also – it’s sometimes extra tough to fight your addiction at home. Can you imagine an alcohol addict looking for alcohol rehab treatment, staying at home, alone, with beer in the fridge? Outpatient treatment means surrounding the patient with people, and making sure he’s in a position where he can FIGHT his temptations.

Outpatient Addiction Treatment

There are many advantages associated with outpatient addiction treatment centers. For one thing, no break from work or schooling will be required. As well, outpatient care tends to be significantly less expensive than inpatient care. As well, patients will be surrounded by their support network of supportive friends and family members, which can make all the difference during treatment.

As mentioned, however, not every patient will be able to benefit from this type of care. If you need more than counseling, then this might not be the right kind of care. It really all depends on personal needs, addictions, will power, and so on. That is why an examination and evaluation is so important, to make sure that the right patients go to the right places. This increases every patient’s chances of success.

Outpatient Addiction Treatment-Drug Addiction

Drug addiction is a scourge which has taken hold of the entire world and certainly something that a lot of people are dealing with right here and now. It affects millions upon millions of people and it might come as a surprise that teenagers are typically the ones that fall into drug addiction. There are many questions about treatment options when someone is dealing with someone they know who is addicted to drugs or even if they are addicted to drugs themselves. That is what we are to explore and discuss in this article.

Firstly, understanding exactly what triggered the drug addiction is a very important step in the treatment process and it is something that a lot of treatment centers actually focus on.

What causes someone to get hooked on drugs, why would they choose that path versus another? These are just a few questions that doctors ask in treatment centers.

Speaking of treatment centers, there are many different options to choose from in the way of a treatment center.

There are inpatient treatment centers as well as outpatient and it all depends on how severely the addiction runs and what types of drugs the patient might have been addicted to.

The outpatient addiction treatment centers

In outpatient treatment centers, both adult drug treatment and teen drugs rehabilitation is administered. This is where addicts can go to gain support, however they do not live there. Typically, these types of treatment centers are designed to give the addict support in the form of meetings and a support buddy.

Recovering from an addiction is a very long process especially for someone who has never been through it, this can be very difficult to understand, however there are many ways through which you can support someone suffering from addiction. Being there for the addict and certainly allowing them to talk about their experience is just a milestone and will make a great difference in their treatment process. These patients’ needs to be full accommodated and feel the sense of belonging to the society during and after the treatment period.
Curing an addict is something that is never going to happen, as the old saying goes, ‘Once an addict, always an addict’, however with the many different treatment options out there to assist you in managing your addiction. It takes more than just support; it takes a complete overhaul of your mind and body. Going through addiction treatment is going to be difficult in the beginning, as there are many different withdraws which their  bodies will goes through when they are in treatment for drugs. However, once the withdraws are finished, the therapy starts and the support system is in place, the addiction will slowly but surely decrease and life will take its place.

Outpatient addiction treatment naturally

 

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Treatment Options Available For Heroin Addiction

February 17, 2014

New Treatment Options Available For Heroin Addiction

Treatment for Heroin Addiction-What is heroin?

Heroine

heroine addiction is oppressive, disastrous and unhealthy. Good news it is treatable.

Heroin is an illegal, highly addictive drug. It is both the most abused and the most rapidly acting of the opiates. Heroin is processed from morphine, a naturally occurring substance extracted from the seed pod of certain varieties of poppy plants. It is typically sold as a white or brownish powder or as the black sticky substance known on the streets as “black tar heroin.” Although purer heroin is becoming more common, most street heroin is “cut” with other drugs or with substances such as sugar, starch, powdered milk, or quinine.

Treatment of Heroin Addiction-Symptoms and Effects

Heroin produces a “downer” effect that rapidly induces a state of relaxation and euphoria (related to chemical changes in the pleasure centers of the brain). Like other opiates, heroin use blocks the brain’s ability to perceive pain. Heroin abusers, particularly those with prior drug abuse history may initially be able to conceal signs and symptoms of their heroin use.

Loved ones or co-workers may notice a number of signs of heroin use, which are visible during and after heroin consumption:

  • Shortness of breath
  • Dry mouth
  • Constricted (small) pupils
  • Sudden changes in behavior or actions
  • Disorientation
  • Cycles of hyper alertness followed by suddenly nodding off
  • Droopy appearance, as if extremities are heavy

Treatment for Heroin Addiction- Buprenorphine

Buprenorphine (byoo-preuh-nor-feen) is a medicine for treating heroin addiction. Buprenorphine works a lot like methadone, but instead of getting it at a special clinic, a doctor prescribes it in the office and you can take it at home – which can make treatment easier for you.

Why Is It Important to Treat Heroin Addiction?

Heroin addiction is a disease. Heroin use can cause many problems:

  • Overdose and even death.
  • If you inject heroin and share needles, you can get HIV, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C, or give these diseases to someone else. Injecting can also cause infections of the skin, muscle, and heart.
  • Because heroin is illegal, you may have to go through a lot of trouble or do something illegal to get it. You can end up in jail if you get caught with even a small amount.

When you use heroin for a long time, your brain and body change and become dependent on it (your body needs the heroin). If this happens, you may need dot take medicine every day for a long time to treat your addiction, just like people take other medicines to treat other health problems, like people who have diabetes and need to take insulin shots.

For many years doctors have used methadone to treat heroin addiction. But people who take methadone have to go to their methadone clinic often their medicine. This may be a help to people who need the supports services at their clinic, but for others it can be a barrier to treatment. Many communities do not have methadone clinics, or their clinics do not have room for new patients.

How Can Buprenorphine Protect You from HIV and Other Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)?

Buprenorphine blocks symptoms of withdrawal and craving and helps you to not use heroin.

If you are in withdrawal or craving heroin, you might share needles or works because taking heroin seems more important than protecing yourself or others from HIV infection.

If you are high on heroin, you may not think straight. There is a better chance that you will not use a condom to protect yourself and others from infection.

Treatment for Heroin Addiction- How Does Buprenorphine Work?

If you are ready to quit, buprenorphine can help you use less heroin, less often until you can stop using altogether.

It blocks the effects of heroin

Buprenorphine stops heroin from getting you “high” and stops withdrawal symptoms and heroin craving (the strong feeling that you need to have it).

It is safe

Buprenorphine does not get you high if you use it the right way and it does not cause strong side effects. It is hard to get sick or overdose from it.

You can take it at home

Doctors prescribe buprenorphine and you can take it at home. It comes in tablets that you put under your tongue and let them melt.

Treatment for Heroin Addiction- How Does Buprenorphine Treatment Work?

There are three steps, or “phases”:

1. Induction phase

This period usually lasts for about one week. The goal is to figure out the dose of buprenorphine that works best to relieve your withdrawal symptoms and craving.

  • You take the first dose when you are in the early stage of withdrawal – about 10 to 24 hours after your last dose of heroin. First you take a test dose, followed by another dose to relieve withdrawal symptoms.
  • Your doctor may ask you to stay in the office for several hours after your first dose to see how the early doses affect you.
  • During the first week, you may have to see your doctor several times. The dose can be raised if you still have withdrawal symptoms.
  • You may not be able to drive or use machines and power tools.

2. Stabilization phase

The goal in this phase is to use less heroin or no heroin and not feel withdrawal symptoms or craving while you keep taking buprenorphine.

  • Usually lasts about 1-2 months
  • You visit your doctor’s office for check-ups regularly.
  • You get a prescription for and take buprenorphine at home. Your doctor may increase your dose so that you do not have to take buprenorphine every day.
  • Doctors may test your urine to make sure you are not taking heroin or other drugs.

3. Maintenance phase

  • You visit the doctor’s office to get a refill of your buprenorphine about once a month.

What Are the Side Effects of Buprenorphine?

  • The most common side effects are constipation and nausea. Usually these are not strong.
  • If you feel light-headed at first, you may not be able to drive or use heavy equipment until you get used to the medicine.
  • You cannot take buprenorphine at the same time as some pain medicines, like morphine and codeine, because buprenorphine will block their effects. Use medicines like Tylenol® or ibuprofen instead. If you need surgery or have a long-term pain problem, you will need to stop buprenorphine for a while.
  • Do not take buprenorphine with sedatives to help you sleep or tranquilizers (like anti-anxiety medicine such as Xanax® or Valium) unless prescribed by your doctor. High doses of these drugs mixed with buprenorphine may cause an overdose.
  • If you have hepatitis or other active liver problems, your doctor may check your liver tests from time to time.
Treatment for Heroin Addiction-Natural way

There are a few highly effective homeopathic ingredients that can be used on a heroin addict to get rid of the addiction in a natural way.

Plantago Major is the first ingredient that has been used for a very long time for treating various ailments, conditions, even as salad dressing, and also for treating heroin addiction; it is a dark green looking weed and it enhances the growth of cells in human body and releases a chemical compound in the body that makes the person stay away from tobacco and heroin. Not only is it effective in overcoming heroin addiction but smoking as well.

 

Tabacum is a diluted replacement that will work in place of heroin. This is the best way of gradually leaving heroin addiction and taking a step down. If you cannot just leave heroin right away; this treatment will make you gradually leave it.

Abies Nigra also known as Black Spruce; it is a natural relaxant. It’s not easy to coupe with withdrawal symptoms. In order to make these symptoms less pleasant, the patient can make use of Black Spruce. The nerves will calm down and the patient will no longer feel the thirst for heroin.

Natural methods for overcoming heroin addiction are very effective but they should always be combined by other medicinal treatments as well in order to make sure that they results are surely positive.

New Treatment Options Available For Heroin Addiction

 

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