Medications for Narcotics Addiction Treatment

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Narcotic addictions continue to grow globally. According to data from the United Nations, more than 60 million people world wide use opioids, which are one type of narcotic. Roughly 23 million people use cocaine, which is legally a narcotic but medically a stimulant.

Not only do narcotics cause serious health problems, but they also damage families and communities. Considering how narcotics impair a person’s brain and body functions, FDA approved medically assisted treatments are essential to breaking a narcotics addiction. Medications for narcotics addiction treatment vary in how they affect a person’s desire to use, which makes some treatments more suited for use during particular stages of the treatment process or for particular drugs.

Medically Assisted Treatments

Some medications can help you successfully get through a narcotics addiction treatment program.

When a person first tries to stop using narcotics, physiological changes in brain and body functions have taken place. As a result, the body reaches a point where it needs narcotics to function normally. Stopping drug use disrupts normal brain and body functions, leading to withdrawal symptoms like fatigue, pain, nausea, and vomiting.

Even in cases where a person has stopped using for a long time, remaining narcotic residue in the body’s muscles and tissues can trigger cravings and mild withdrawal effects. Medications for narcotics addiction treatment help to either duplicate the effects of narcotics in the body or eliminate a person’s physical desire to use. For medically assisted treatments to be effective, doctors must consider a person’s physical condition before prescribing any treatment.

Antagonist Medication Treatments

Antagonist medications for narcotic addiction treatment are designed to block the body’s cell receptor sites that normally respond to narcotic drugs. The chemical makeup of antagonist drugs enables them to bind to these sites without activating endorphin secretions. When a drug increases the secretion of endorphins, which are the body’s natural pain-killing chemicals, it can potentially trigger cravings in a person who has just stopped using.

Some of the more commonly used antagonist medications used to treat narcotic addictions include:

• Naloxone
• Naltrexone
• Nalorphine
• Levallorphan

Naloxone and naltrexone narcotic addiction treatments carry no risk for addiction and produce no sedating effects. Ultimately, these two drugs eliminate the body’s desire for narcotics.

Nalorphine and Levallorphan belong to another group of antagonist medications, known as partial agonists. Partial agonists still block cell site receptors, but also produce a mild narcotic-like effect. These drugs are best suited for someone who has just stopped using or is just coming out of detoxification treatment. The mild narcotic-like effect works to relieve ongoing withdrawal symptoms, which helps prevent the likelihood of relapse.

Agonists

An agonist narcotic addiction treatment works to replace the effects of narcotics in the body without creating a “high” effect. These medications help ease withdrawal symptoms, which can greatly relieve much of the discomfort when a person is in detox.

Methadone and buprenorphine are the medications most often used for agonist narcotic addiction treatment. Methadone has been used for narcotic addiction treatment since the 1960s and remains an effective treatment. Methadone works especially well for people who don’t respond well to other medication treatments.

Buprenorphine narcotic addiction treatments are available in two forms: Subutex and Suboxone. While methadone is only administered through outpatient treatment programs, buprenorphine is available in prescription form. Suboxone contains both buprenorphine and naloxone (antagonist treatment) while Subutex only contains buprenorphine. The added naloxone ingredient is designed to prevent users from trying to get “high” on the treatment drug.

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