Treatment of psychostimulant addiction has been a major, and not fully met, challenge. For opioid addiction, there is strong evidence for the effectiveness of several medications. For psychostimulants, there is no corresponding form of agonist maintenance that has met criteria for regulatory approval or generally accepted use.
How is stimulant addiction treated?
Most treatment professionals and doctors alike recommend that stimulant addiction be first treated using a method of tapering off the medication to prevent or minimize withdrawal symptoms. Tapering off a dose involves gradually lowering the dose of the medication to allow the body time to adjust without going into panic mode.
Are You struggling with a stimulant addiction?
Not all instances of physical drug dependence indicate the presence of an addiction, but they often go hand-in-hand. As a behavioral concept, an addiction is characterized by the continued seeking out and using of a substance despite negative consequences. Here are some signs that a person may be struggling with an addiction to stimulants:
What causes physical dependence on stimulants?
Physical dependence can develop when a person uses stimulants often or in high doses—a pattern of use that may arise given an ever-increasing tolerance to the stimulant effects 2. Furthermore, dependent individuals may experience a stimulant withdrawal syndrome when use of the drug stops or slows.
How does stimulant abuse affect the brain?
Stimulants produce an overabundance of dopamine, the pleasure-inducing chemical in the brain. After continued use of stimulants, the brain can no longer produce normal amounts of dopamine on its own. This need for dopamine reinforces stimulant abuse, which can develop into an addiction over time.
What are the toxic effects of psychomotor stimulant drugs?
These agents also possess potent reinforcing properties that can result in excessive self-administration and abuse. Chronic use is associated with adverse effects including psychosis, seizures, and cerebrovascular accidents, though these complications usually occur in individuals with preexisting risk factors.
What is the psychomotor stimulant theory of addiction?
Abstract. The theory is advanced that the common denominator of a wide range of addictive substances is their ability to cause psychomotor activation.
What are some medical complications from stimulant use?
Effects of chronic stimulant use may include paranoia, anxiety, confusion and decreased sexual function, as well as potential damage to the respiratory, cardiovascular and central nervous systems.
How do psychomotor stimulants affect the brain?
Mechanism of Action. These drugs achieve their beneficial effects by increasing the levels of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine in the brain. Dopamine, one of the most important neurotransmitters, is related to concentration, attention, and feelings of reward and pleasure.
Is caffeine a psychomotor stimulant?
Caffeine acts as an antagonist to both types of receptors. Increasing evidence indicates that the psychomotor stimulant effect of caffeine is generated by affecting a particular group of projection neurons located in the striatum, the main receiving area of the basal ganglia.
Is Naltrexone a pill?
Naltrexone can be prescribed and administered by any practitioner licensed to prescribe medications, and is available in a pill form for Alcohol Use disorder or as an extended-release intramuscular injectable for Alcohol and Opioid Use disorder.
What are the potential side effects of stimulants?
Many users experience a loss of appetite, increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure and body temperature, interrupted sleep patterns, panic, hallucinations, and irritability. Taking high dosages of stimulants can result in convulsions, seizures, and possibly even death.
What are the side effects of stimulants Class 11?
Side Effects of Stimulants:Loss of appetite.Insomnia (loss of sleep)Euphoria.Hallucinations (Psychosis)Trembling.Restlessness, agitation, tenseness.Hypertension.Palpitation and heart rhythm disorders.More items...•
What are the effects of stimulants quizlet?
increased heart rate, convulsions, extreme rise in body temperature, uncontrollable movements, insomnia, impaired speech, dry itchy skin, loss of appetite, acne, sores, and numbness.
How do stimulant drugs affect dopamine at the synapse?
Cocaine raises synaptic dopamine levels by preventing dopamine transporters from removing dopamine from the synapse and by stimulating dopamine-releasing neurons to release dopamine that they normally hold in reserve.
Do stimulants block dopamine reuptake?
Amphetamine-like stimulants are known to increase wakefulness by blocking dopamine reuptake, by stimulating dopamine release, or by both mechanisms.
How do stimulant drugs work?
Stimulants mainly accelerate brain activity by increasing the level of a chemical (catecholamine), which boosts alertness, energy, and attention. Moreover, they also produce the following effects in the body: Increase heart rate. Raise blood sugar and blood pressure.
What happens after extinction of drug self administration?
After extinction of drug self-administration, exposure to drug-associated stimuli, experimenter-administered drug , or stress reinstates drug-seeking behavior, i.e., responding in extinction on a lever that previously resulted in drug infusions. This procedure was introduced, refined, and detailed by Stewart and colleagues ( de Wit and Stewart, 1981; Shaham et al., 1994) and has led to many investigations of psychological and neurobiological mechanisms of relapse. We focus here on cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking, because this not only models key aspects of relapse in human addicts, but also reveals the involvement of limbic cortical–ventral striatopallidal systems (Fig. 1) in cocaine addiction. A basic feature of this procedure is that established drug taking is first extinguished and then its reinstatement is subsequently studied. Although an effective and fruitful model of relapse, extinction of drug self-administration is not a means by which human addicts achieve abstinence, which is more likely to arise through an active decision to abstain or through forced abstinence. Moreover, because the extinguished response is so readily reinstated, it is unlikely that extinction training will provide an effective clinical approach to treatment. On the other hand, non-reinforced exposure to cocaine-associated stimuli, and thereby extinction of their motivational effects, might be a useful therapeutic strategy ( O'Brien et al., 1990, 1992; Robbins et al., 1992 ), although cue exposure in the clinic is unlikely to be sufficient because the cues may remain potent elicitors of craving in the original drug-associated environment.
What is behavioral sensitization?
Another important source of information about systems involved in addiction arises from studies of behavioral sensitization, which refers to the progressive enhancement of species-specific behavioral responses to drugs of abuse that develops over the course of repeated drug exposure and persists after long periods of withdrawal. As mentioned above, sensitization occurs not only to the locomotor activating effects of psychostimulants but perhaps also to the incentive motivational effects of drugs of abuse, i.e., wanting ( Robinson and Berridge, 1993; Deroche et al., 1999 ). Previous exposure to cocaine or amphetamine, resulting in locomotor sensitization, promotes drug self-administration ( Horger et al., 1990; Mendrek et al., 1998; Lorrain et al., 2000) and enhances stimulus–reward learning and responding for conditioned reward ( Taylor and Horger, 1999; Taylor and Jentsch, 2001 ). The expression of sensitization is also associated with the reinstatement of self-administration after long-term extinction ( De Vries et al., 1998 ), whereas environmental stimuli and conditioning strongly modulate sensitization in rats, as well as drug craving in humans ( Robinson et al., 1998 ).
Can D1 and D2 prevent cocaine seeking?
However, systemic psychopharmacological studies have shown that D2, but not D1, DA receptor agonists can precipitate reinstatement of cocaine seeking ( Self et al., 1996) and that both D1 and D2/D3 DA receptor antagonists can prevent conditioned reinstatement ( Weiss et al., 2001 ).
Is NAC DA responsive to drugs?
Although NAc DA may be especially responsive to many drugs of abuse initially ( Di Chiara and Imperato, 1988 ), the fact that DA transmission is increased in both the NAc and DS when drugs are self-administered over extended periods of time may contribute powerfully to aberrant learning involving both structures.
Tapering the Dose
Most treatment professionals and doctors alike recommend that stimulant addiction be first treated using a method of tapering off the medication to prevent or minimize withdrawal symptoms. Tapering off a dose involves gradually lowering the dose of the medication to allow the body time to adjust without going into panic mode.
Behavioral Therapy
Stimulant addiction treatment involves behavioral therapy such as contingency management, cognitive-behavior therapy and similar approaches that look to help the user better cope with their thoughts and behaviors as they associate with their addiction.
When to Seek Stimulant Addiction Treatment
If you or someone you love is addicted to stimulants, there can be some challenges associated with determining when it’s time to seek help. Not all people will require treatment but for some, without professional help, there is little hope for full recovery.
What are the effects of stimulant abuse?
Very high body temperature. Muscle shakes or tremors. Agitation. All of these effects are common to stimulant abuse. No matter how you cut it, stimulant abuse, even in the short term, can have disastrous consequences for the user, resulting in hyperthermia, cardiovascular abnormalities, and sudden death.
Why are stimulants abused?
Stimulants are generally abused for their euphoric, energetic effects. In the short term, stimulant effects can be very pleasurable and may include 2, 5: Intense feelings of happiness. Increased energy/sociability and self-esteem. Improved attention. Increased sexual desire and performance.
Why is tolerance important in addiction?
Tolerance is a contributing factor to the development of both dependence and addiction and occurs when a person becomes so physiologically accustomed to the high levels of stimulant drug that they need more and more of it to feel the desired euphoric effects.
What is the purpose of stimulants?
Stimulants are a class of substances that increase certain types of cell signaling and amplify various physiologic processes throughout the brain and body. In particular, many types of stimulant drugs are associated with heightened dopamine release, which can result in a powerful sense of well-being, increased energy, attention, and alertness 1.
What are the side effects of taking stimulants?
While every stimulant will be slightly different in its specific effects, all stimulants share a set of side effects that can wreak havoc on a user’s system when abused 2: Increased heart rate. Heightened blood pressure. Very high body temperature. Muscle shakes or tremors.
How do you know if you have an addiction to stimulants?
Here are some signs that a person may be struggling with an addiction to stimulants: They spend a majority of their time seeking out and using the drug. They continue to seek the drug despite adverse effects on their life and health. They have tried to give up or cut down on their use but have been unsuccessful.
Can stimulant excitation cause heart attack?
Toxic levels of stimulant excitation can result in heart attack, stroke, seizures, or even fatal overheating 6, 7, 8.
How does stimulant addiction affect people?
Stimulant addiction can cause immediate and long-term effects on a person’s health. Understanding the symptoms of a stimulant addiction can help determine if you or someone you know has a problem. There are 11 criteria for an addiction as outlined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Why do people abuse stimulants?
Many people abuse prescription stimulants to enhance performance rather than to get high. In fact, athletes and students have a long history of abusing prescription stimulants to outperform their peers. The effects of stimulants include: Euphoria. Decreased appetite.
What is the most common stimulant for ADHD?
Some of the most well-known prescription stimulants include: Approved in 1960, Adderall is currently the most popular ADHD treatment drug and the most commonly prescribed amphetamine in the United States. Dexedrine, also called Dextroamphetamine, it is a potent central nervous system stimulant and amphetamine.
What is a stimulant?
Stimulants can be prescription medications or illicit substances such as cocaine. Stimulants may be taken orally, snorted, or injected. If you have a stimulant addiction, seek help today. This class of drugs is considered central nervous system stimulants. They work by increasing the amounts of the neurotransmitters dopamine ...
Why are stimulants classified as Schedule II?
Prescription stimulants are classified as a Schedule II drug under the Controlled Substances Act because they have a high potential for abuse and addiction. Approximately 900,000 Americans abuse prescription stimulants every month. Many people abuse prescription stimulants to enhance performance rather than to get high.
What is the best medicine for ADHD?
Dexedrine. Dexedrine, also called Dextroamphetamine, it is a potent central nervous system stimulant and amphetamine. On the market for American consumers since 1976, Dexedrine is most commonly used to treat ADHD.
What happens to the brain after taking stimulants?
After continued abuse of stimulants, the brain no longer produces normal amounts of dopamine, as it has been conditioned to receive it from taking the drug.
What is the challenge of drug rehab?
During drug rehab, people in recovery are challenged to deal with trauma and shame without the aid of these addictive substances, which can be very difficult. It requires a lot of effort, time, and bravery to confront these issues head-on and address the deep-seated issues that have contributed to your addiction.
Why is drug rehab important?
Fortunately, drug and alcohol rehab is designed to help you establish life skills, modify unhealthy behaviors, and develop a peer support system that will keep you firmly rooted in your sobriety.
What happens after rehab?
After you complete rehab and return home, you may find yourself dealing with boredom, which can actually be a big threat to your sobriety.
Can drug use cause depression?
Some people may also experience symptoms of depression after the effects of the drug wear off. Research studies and surveys also show a clear relationship between drug addiction and depression. About one-third of adults who have a substance use disorder also experience depression.3.
What education do you need to become an addiction counselor?
Did you know that most addiction treatment specialists have little formal education or training in addiction? Fourteen states require only a high school diploma or a GED to become an addiction counselor; 10 require only an associate’s degree.
Is addiction rehabilitation scientifically rigorous?
Much of what is offered in addiction “rehabilitation” programs has not been subject to rigorous scientific study and the existing body of evidence demonstrating principles of effective treatment has not been taken to scale or integrated effectively into many of the treatment programs operating nationwide.
Is addiction treatment an orphan system?
Addiction treatment in the U.S. is yet another orphan system in the overall health care system — kind of like the mental health system’s little, sometimes neglected brother. One of the report’s recommendations is to bring the addiction treatment system into the larger mainstream health care system — mainstream it, if you will.