Drugs dependence disorders

Antianxiety drugp are used in the management of anxiety disorders and short-term treatment of the symptoms of anxiety. Long-term use of these dru is usually not recommended because prolonged therapy can result in drug dependence and serious withdrawal symptoms. 

In other substance use disorders, the use of 12-step interventions is also popular, and participation in 12-step groups is correlated with better outcomes in cocaine abusers (e.g., McKay et al. 1994). However, a smdy of 128 cocaine abusers found that cognitive-behavioral therapy was more efficacious than 12-step facilitation in engendering cocaine abstinence (Maude-Griffm et al. 1998). Thus, the relative efficacy of 12-step approaches for drug use disorders requires further investigation. No known studies have systematically evaluated the efficacy of 12-step treatments in opioid-dependent patients, either alone or in conjunction with pharmacotherapies. 

Compton, W.M., Cottier, L.B., BenAbdallah, A. et al. Substance dependence and other psychiatric disorders among drug dependent subjects race and gender correlates. Am. J. Addict. 9 113, 2000. 

It became known to suppress prolactine secretion, and it is therefore a useful tool in the treatment of prolactine dependent disorders, such as galactorrhea associated with hyperprolactinemia and postpartum, as well as certain kinds of sterility (3 - 9). In more elevated doses, the drug is a potent antiparkinsonicum. In addition, there is recent evidence of bromocriptine playing an important role in the trace heavy metals balance of the brain (10). 

Tennant FS, Tarver AL, Rawason RA (1983) Clinical evaluation of mecamylamine for withdrawal from nicotine dependence. In Harris LS (ed) Problems of drug dependence, NIDA Research Monograph 49. USDHHS publication no, 84-1316, pp 239-246 Tercyak KP, Herman C, Audrain J (2002) Association of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms with levels of cigarette smoking in a community sample of adolescents, J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 41 799-805... 

Social factors such as peer pressure at school or work as well as family patterns of substance use can also contribute to the risk. Teenagers who respond to pressure to use gateway drugs such as alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana in their early teens are more likely to develop substance dependence disorders than those who refrain from doing so until their late teens. 

Both twin studies and quantitative trait loci mapping methods have provided evidence for a significant genetic contribution to the risk of developing a substance dependence disorder. However, both of these lines of research have underscored the importance of environmental factors. A rich body of preclinical work has demonstrated that stress delivered at a wide range of time points in development can modulate proclivity towards drug self-administration. Evidence has suggested... 

Riggs, P., Thompson, L., Mikulich, S., Whitmore, E., and Crowley, T. (1996) An open trial of pemoline in drug-dependent delinquents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 35 1018-1024. 

In the United States, 13% of people will be diagnosed with a type of social anxiety disorder at some point in their lifetime. As with many of the anxiety disorders, women have a greater chance of being diagnosed (16% for women versus 11% for men). Like panic disorder, 57% of patients with social anxiety disorder have another anxiety disorder at the same time. Of these, 37% also have depression, and 15% have a drug dependence. 

All processes involved in the life cycle of a neurotransmitter, i.e. its synthesis, storage, release, reuptake, degradation and effects at the receptor, can be influenced and modulated by drugs. Depending on the assumed direction of the abnormality in a given disorder, the aim is to improve the function of the respective neurotransmitter system, i.e. to either increase or decrease its level of activity. Many of the conceivable possibilities at influencing neurotransmission are currently being used as powerful pharmacotherapies. 

Anxiety is a common complaint that invariably complicates addictive illnesses. Estimates of co-morbid anxiety and alcohol disorders range from 20% to 50%, with men more likely to self-medicate anxiety than women (453, 454 and 455). Some investigators have also found increased rates of alcoholism in family members of patients with anxiety disorders (456, 457). Patients with alcohol or drug dependence show a tendency for development of panic disorder earlier, and it has been suggested that repeated alcohol withdrawal may be the trigger for panic attacks in susceptible individuals ( 458, 459). Finally, BZDs, the primary pharmacological treatment for these disorders, are themselves addictive and sometimes associated with anxiety syndromes, especially on their discontinuation ( 460). 

One-on-one counseling explores the emotional issues underlying a patient s drug dependence and abuse. Individual psychotherapy is particularly useful when there is also some type of mental disorder, such as depression or an anxiety disorder, along with the drug abuse. 

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