Addiction Treatment Medications

Medications help with different aspects of the treatment process. Withdrawal Medications can suppress withdrawal symptoms during detoxification. However, medically assisted detoxification is not in itself "treatment." Detoxification is only the first step in the treatment process. Patients who go through medically assisted withdrawal but do not receive any further treatment show drug abuse patterns similar to those who were never treated. Treatment Medications can help reestablish normal brain functioning and prevent relapse by diminishing cravings an addict may have. Currently, doctors prescribe detox medications for opioid additions like heroin, morphine, tobacco (nicotine) and alcohol addiction, and are developing others for treating stimulant addictions to cocaine, methamphetamine and cannabis (marijuana) addictions. Most people with severe addiction problems use and abuse more than one drug and require treatment for multiple substance abuses. Opioids Methadone, buprenorphine and, for some individuals, naltrexone are effective medications for treating opiate addictions. 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 doctors only prescribe these drugs for certain patients who underwent detoxification. Because of compliance issues, naltrexone is not as widely used as other medications. All medication helps patients disengage from seeking out drugs and other criminal behavior, and aid addicts in being more receptive to behavioral treatments. Tobacco Drug companies make many kinds of nicotine replacement therapies including the patch, a spray, gum and lozenges, which are available over the counter. In addition, the Federal Drug Administration approves two prescription medications for tobacco addiction: bupropion and varenicline. These drugs have different act on the brain differently, but both help to prevent relapse in people trying to quit smoking. Doctors recommend each medication for use in combination with behavioral treatments, including group and individual therapies, as well as telephone-quit lines. Alcohol The Federal Drug Administration approves three medications for treating alcohol dependence: naltrexone, acamprosate and disulfiram. A fourth drug called topiramate exhibits encouraging results in clinical trials. Naltrexone blocks opioid receptors that are involved in the rewarding effects of drinking and in the craving for alcohol. Naltrexone reduces relapsing to heavy drinking and is highly effective in some patients, likely due to genetic differences. Doctors believe that acamprosate reduces symptoms of protracted withdrawal, such as insomnia, anxiety, restlessness and dysphoria, which is an unpleasant or uncomfortable emotional state, similar to depression, anxiety or irritability. Acamprosate may be more effective in patients with severe dependence. Disulfiram interferes with the degradation of alcohol, resulting in the accumulation of acetaldehyde, which, in turn, produces a very unpleasant reaction that includes flushing, nausea and heart palpitations when a patient drinks alcohol. Compliance can be a problem, but among patients who are highly motivated, disulfiram can be very effective.

Genital Warts

Genital warts often occur in clusters and can be very tiny or can spread into large masses in the genital or penis area. In women, they occur on the outside and inside of the vagina, on the opening (cervix) to the womb (uterus), or around the anus. They are approximately as prevalent in men, but the symptoms may be less obvious. When present, they appear on the tip of the penis. They also present on the shaft of the penis, on the scrotum or around the anus. Rarely do genital warts also can develop in the mouth or throat of a person who has had oral sex with an infected person. Genital warts may disappear without treatment, but sometimes eventually develop a fleshy, small raised growth. There is no way to predict whether they will grow or disappear. Genital warts (or Condyloma, Condylomata acuminata, or venereal warts) are a highly contagious sexually transmitted infection caused by some sub-types the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV spreads via direct skin-to-skin contact during oral, genital or anal sex with an infected partner.

Medical Device Registration

Medical device registration offers a single place for patients to learn about registered devices and provides information about recalls. Medical devices include a wide range of products that vary in complexity and application. The Food and Drug Administration recognizes three classes of medical devices based on the level of control necessary in order to assure the safety and effectiveness of the device. An implant is a medical device manufactured to replace a missing biological structure, support a damaged biological structure or enhance an existing biological structure. Medical implants are manufactured devices. The surface of implants that come in contact with body might be made of a biomedical material such as titanium, silicone or apatite, depending on what is the most functional. In some cases, implants contain electronics e.g. artificial pacemaker and cochlear implants. Some implants are bioactive, such as subcutaneous drug delivery devices in the form of implantable pills or drug-eluting stents. Among the most common types of medical implants are pins, rods, screws and plates used to anchor fractured bones as they heal. There have been many examples of implant failures, including rupture of silicone breast implants, faulty hip replacement joints and breakable artificial heart valves. The consequences of implant failure depend on the critical nature of the implant and its position in the body. Thus, heart valve failure is likely to threaten the life of the individual, while breast implant or hip joint failure is less likely to be life threatening. The process of implantation of medical devices is subject to the same complications as any other invasive medical procedure, including infection, inflammation and pain. Patients also run the risk of implant rejection if the immune system of the host reacts poorly.

Type 2 Diabetes and Weight

Type 2 diabetes is a disease in which blood sugar levels are above normal. High blood sugar is a major cause of coronary heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, amputation and blindness. In 2002, diabetes was the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes in the United States. This form of diabetes is most often associated with old age, obesity, family history of diabetes, previous history of gestational diabetes and physical inactivity. The disease is more common among certain ethnic populations.
More than 85 percent of people with Type 2 diabetes are overweight. Doctors do not know exactly why overweight people are more likely to develop diabetes. Doctors think that being overweight causes cells to change, making them resistant to the hormone insulin. Insulin carries sugar from blood to the cells, where it is used for energy. When a person is insulin resistant, blood sugar cannot be taken up by the cells, resulting in high blood sugar. In addition, the cells that produce insulin must work extra hard to try to keep blood sugar normal. This may cause these cells to gradually fail.
A person may lower his or her risk for developing Type 2 diabetes by losing weight and increasing the amount of physical activity he or she does. If a person has Type 2 diabetes, losing weight and becoming more physically active can help him or her control blood sugar levels and prevent or delay complications. Losing weight and exercising more may also allow a person to reduce the amount of diabetes medication he or she takes. The Diabetes Prevention Program, a large clinical study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, found that losing just five to seven percent of body weight and doing moderate-intensity exercise for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, may prevent or delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes.