Comments on: Opioid Addiction – Inherent Differences In Brain Functions

By: onergk69

onergk69 — Mon, 20 Jan 2014 17:59:04 +0000

Shefali,
Re: SUD vulnerability,

There is some research that suggests the significance of high novelty seeking, high reward dependence, high impulsivity, & low harm avoidance as known risk factors; and so are some of the following biopsychosocial factors:ability to highjack the brain in one dose, parental behvior about drugs, peer behavior about drugs, & cultural attitudes & behavior. Tho, the predictabilty is no where near 80% +.

Rich

By: Richard Kensinger, MSW

Richard Kensinger, MSW — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 19:40:48 +0000

To all,

Two excellent resources: The Fix & http://www.samhsa.gov/ for valuable info on treatment & provider locations/locator.

Rich

By: long term addiction treatment

long term addiction treatment — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 18:22:40 +0000

I recently found of that one of my best and closest friends has been using drugs. We lost touch with each other and our lives went if very different directions. I have been trying to get her into a long term addiction treatment center of some kind. Do you have any suggestions?

By: Dr. Shefali Sabharanjak

Dr. Shefali Sabharanjak — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 02:48:22 +0000

Dear Diane,
I feel sorry for what you have gone through. Perhaps your best option right now is to consult a doctor who will perform a complete and cohesive review of your health and prescribe some alternative medication or therapy for your back problem.
I am not familiar with the US healthcare and insurance system but you could check whether or not you stand to benefit from other medicine systems like Chinese medicine and Yoga. Believe me, I am not suggesting this out of blind faith. I just think that if the pain meds are creating other issues in your life, you should try out some therapy that is not dependent upon changing the chemistry of neurons in the brain and spine. Even with the alternatives, please do some background research into the practitioners of Chinese medicine and Yoga and make a judicious choice **before** you place yourself into their care.

You can also check out this hospital: http://iaimhealthcare.com/
This is a research centre and hospital in Bangalore, India where doctors are aware of Allopathic as well as Ayurvedic systems of medicine. The treatment modalities are Ayurvedic but the doctors are not fanatically against other knowledge systems.

I understand that this is a remote option, perhaps, but treatment is very inexpensive and if you write to the doctors there or chat over Skype you could probably work something out.

I cannot guarantee any resolution but I hope this helps.

Best,
Shefali.

By: Richard Kensinger, MSW

Richard Kensinger, MSW — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 20:51:27 +0000

You are taking 2 potent CNS depressants which boosts one another, & neuromodulates brain endorphins. Xanax is very often used illicitly w/ Oxy 80’s; & it is a Schedule 2 controled agent. Never stop either abruptly. They need to be gradually tapered.

Since you are not a client of mine, I will not offer any clinical advise; otherwise I would be unethical.

I do wish you well,

Rich

By: Diane Horton

Diane Horton — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 18:51:58 +0000

I need some advice…I hurt my back real bad from the job I held for over 20 years doing Banquets, walking long distaces though the showrooms at different banquet facilities carrying 8-10 dinners/with metal covers across the showrooms to serve them their dinners. well Sice I suffer from terrible pain the dr has me on opioids. The dr has me at an amount that not even cancer patients dont even take.. dr has me at max 2-3 pills 5x’s a day. I loved what was written because its exactly what I have noticed from before starting on the 30 mg oxycodone pills. It has changed so many aspects of my life its unreal..I was in my early 30’s when Dr began to put me on this for my pain/adding to it up to the max amount so now where do I go from here. I am deadly afraid for my life, because this is such a big problem in the usa as I speak,,I want help so bad and havee for years, I tried to quit cold turkey for 5 streight days and I was in a disaster state, seemed as though I was worse as days went by. I have been looking around for some type of reseach to help me get off these things. It scares me so much . I am 47 now still on them, racking my brain on what am I going to do? this along with the 3 pills of 1 mg of xanax he also gave me a few years ago..1 mg. I heard that this point of getting off could actually kill me because of one the leagth of time on opiods/the amount, and the cost to do this properly with being watched by a dr on staff. the problem is that I am on permanate disability and after my bills are paid I dont have the $565.000 a day to go inpatient. I have a funny feeling I am not the only on out there that never in thir lifetime has done any street drug, or any drug for this matter. what does a person like me do being broke three cents left over after bills are paid/having no money the want to get into a proper inpatient tratment center for dependance. I want help so bad but I feel so trapped, so just cotinue taking this med day in day out..It has changed my life so much its unbelievable..I dont get high, it dos take my pain away which is good, but how I havee lost most o all my motervation to do anything, and yes I am sure it effected my brain funtion, as far as memory is not as good any mor, there is no where to turn unless I have $35,000-50,000 for help the right way. I often think would dr Phill help someone like me thats wants so badly to completly get off, but cant..this medician attaches to th receptors of the brain, which is very scarry, and where do people go to find help/ I have been looking for years and years, nothing!! in Las vegas where I live thy have a bed you l lye in for 2-3 days then they have to let you go because of the shortage of beds and to many patients/so my last hope is finding a reacherch of some sort that can help me..Im just disguted, and these dr’s when perscribed this md to me never sat and told me of thee long trm effects/addiction/dpendance nothing at all/just take this and it will take your pain away and it did..but now what Im getting older and I’m alone, and I am so scarred to dealth that I will eventually die from not having it unless I can get help..do you have any sugestions on what a neive person lik I was ( from a very tiny town of Douglas Ma had no idea what this was going to do to me like it has..I never run out, so the problem is not that..its my future that is..if I ever had to go to the hospital there is no way they are going to give me this amount so I will just withdraw in the hospital as they probably give me a single loratab…what do I do seriously can you help or now anyone that can help me get out of this? Please you have no idea what this means to me..I called a few dr’s to see if they would take payments for me to get help..no….they say cash/credit card..my credit is awsome, but I dont have 40,000 in my bal..I hope I am writing all this to the right place..any kind of responcee would be great..because of the usa abuse prcribed by these unregulated pill mills in florida has become such a shortage, which is another story..please help if you can…sincerly and serious…and a good woman who wants to get totally clean and live the life I had before I started taking this pills..heelp please help….this is no joke!! thanks so much Diane H

By: michael haslar

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By: Ricy Mardona

Ricy Mardona — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 10:59:09 +0000

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By: Dr. Shefali Sabharanjak

Dr. Shefali Sabharanjak — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 06:47:15 +0000

Rich,
I fully agree with you.. Being a mom of a pre-teen kid, I am worried about these issues as well. My point is that we need to probably prevent ‘trial’ exposures to opioids in the form of grass and other recreational products as well. Science tells us that significant abuse of drugs can alter your brain circuits permanently perhaps rendering them intractable to higher-order thought processes. So, while some will still escape the habit after some initial trials, others may take an irreparable hit. At present, there is no way to distinguish between those at high risk of addiction and those who are at low risk. The only way to reduce and delay the age of exposure to even marijuana is to restrict access.

By: Richard Kensinger, MSW

Richard Kensinger, MSW — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 16:56:46 +0000

The risk of SUD is often multi-factorial in its genesis & continuance; & includes an epi-genetic perspective. Part of what we are seeing in the neuro-imaging tools is, perhaps, the end result of neuromodulation between those who use & those who don’t.
And, we now have more deaths due to abuse of narcotic analgesics than we do w/ heroin. more young males are dying of NA’s than MVA’s! And in sad fact, 1 in 10 infants in the US show traces of opiates/opioids after birth!

And very sadly, NA’s are very easy to obtain from licensed practitioners.

The treatment of those w/ SUD is quite challenging & the stakes are quite high, including for those who love these folks.

Rich