Suboxone
Kids And Prescriptions
Jul 29th
The New Fix-Its
U.S. teens are abusing illegal drugs such as marijuana less, but abuse of legal prescription drugs is rising, according to a new study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. However, an increase in abuse of prescription and over-the-counter medications has left anti-drug campaigners confused as to how to combat the problem of legal drugs. Nearly one in 10 high school seniors reported using the prescription painkiller Vicodin without a prescription, while roughly one in 20 said they had used Oxycontin without a prescription. Overdoses of prescription and over-the-counter drugs accounted for about one-quarter of the 1.3 million drug-related emergency room admissions in 2004. Some kids are self-medicating undiagnosed depression or anxiety, while others are using stimulants to try to get an edge on tests and studying. Sadly, prescription drugs are familiar mood-altering substances for a generation that grew up as prescriptions soared for Ritalin and other stimulants to treat maladies such as attention-deficit disorder. A staggering five million kids take prescription drugs every day for behavior disorders. Pharmaceutical companies’ production of two often-abused prescription drugs — hydrocodone and oxycodone, the active ingredients in drugs such as Vicodin and OxyContin — has risen dramatically as the drugs’ popularity for legitimate uses has increased. To try to reduce the supply of prescription drugs on the black market, authorities have shut down several “pill mills” — where doctors prescribe inordinate amounts of narcotics — as well as Internet pharmacies that ship drugs with little medical consultation, says Catherine Harnett, chief of demand reduction for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Essentially what is most important is not locking up the narcotics it is better parenting and more involvement.
A Program For Recovery
May 6th
Treatment for Addiction
Substance abuse programs, can be the introduction to the program that can provide lasting sobriety. Interestingly, medical professionals do not have any pharmaceutical remedies for drug/alcohol addiction, which is often resistant to talk therapy only. Furthermore, relapse rates run as high as 40 to 60 percent for many types of substance abuse. Although, Heroin addicts often benefit from methadone, a synthetic opioid that thwarts cravings by substituting for some of heroin’s effects; naltrexone, an opioid receptor blocker, helps alcoholics kick their habit by reducing the desire for alcohol. But most victims of drug dependence are left with no antidote to the neurological havoc their habit has wrought in their brain.
“We have very few medications for the treatment of addiction,” says Nora D. Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), “and it’s urgent” that more such drugs are developed.
The urgency for drugs that aid the detox process are crucial. More importantly they allow the user to be open to new ideas and calm the mind enough to seek change. While in the grip of detox, the addict wants nothing more than to stop the pain. Therefore, advancements in medications for addiction give the addicted a better chance of gaining a foothold in changing and laying the foundation for a way of life that requires responsibility to ones own journey. Currently, the only miracle cure “medicine” for lasting sobriety has been adhering to a 12 step program post-treatment, developing a fellowship, and being of service.
Suboxone for Opiate Detox
Aug 8th
Suboxone can be used for opiate detox and is now used for those withdrawing from opiates. With Suboxone clients can do so safely and comfortably through the use of Suboxone, a medication that virtually stops withdrawal symptoms from opiate drugs such as Vicodin, heroin, codeine, morphine, and OxyContin. In many facilities the drug is only used during the detoxification period so that once a client is stabilized, he or she can be free from the debilitating effects of opiate addiction. Consulting physicians assess the client’s need for Suboxone and determine the appropriate course of treatment.
Suboxone is approved by the FDA to treat withdrawal from opiates and is one of two forms of the medication buprenorphine, which is an opiate agonist that was originally developed to treat pain syndromes. Suboxone binds to the opioid receptor in the brain, which is the same receptor to which morphine, heroin, and other opiates bind.
What makes Suboxone unique and valuable in addiction treatment is that it is a partial agonist. This means that at low doses, it acts the same as any other opiate in suppressing pain. But as the dosage is increased, it starts to block the opioid receptor, and doesn’t allow it to be stimulated. This allows clinicians to stop withdrawal symptoms without having to worry that the patient will begin abusing Suboxone. In addition, Suboxone makes it impossible to get high on other opiates. If someone is taking Suboxone and then uses heroin or OxyContin, they won’t feel any euphoria from the illicit drugs. Suboxone used to treat the withdrawal effects from opiates along with therapy and supportive care in a residential facility gives clients a fighting chance against the disease of addiction.