11. Treatments for addictive behaviour Flashcards
(19 cards)
What are some examples of withdrawal symptoms?
Tremors, sweating, nausea, vomiting, delirium tremors
How does antabuse medication work?
Disulfiram:
1. Alcohol is broken down by alcohol dehydrogenase to produce acetaldehyde
2. ALDH breaks down aceteldahyde
3. Disulfiram stops ALDH from breaking down
4. Works to change the belief of the addict
What is GABA?
An inhibitory neurotransmitter
Reduces action potential frequencies and capacity for excitation
What is glutamate?
Excitatory neurotransmitter
How does alcohol affect neurotransmitters in our brain?
Alcohol enters the bloodstream and acts as a GABA antagonist and Glutamate antagonist
How does acamprosate affect GABA levels in brain?
As we stop drinking, GABA levels decrease and Glutamate levels increase significantly- this can be neurotoxic
What did Skinner find about the effectiveness of disulfiram?
Patients given disulfiram did better with
- total abstinence
- no relapse
- lower mean days of alcohol use
How does acamprosate work to help abusers?
Works by reducing craving induced when we stop drinking
What did Rosner et al find about the effectiveness of acamprosate?
Reduced the risk of heavy drinking by 86% relative to placebo
What did Jones et al find about acamprosate?
Reduced the risk of abstinent patients relapsing
What did Rosner et al (2010) find about the effectiveness of naltrexone?
Naltrexone reduced the risk of heavy drinking, reducing number of drinking days
What are opioids?
A class of substances that derive from opioum and affect opium receptor systems
How do opium receptors affect the brain?
The receptors respond to endogenous and exogenous opioids
What are some effects of heroin?
Leads to a rush of euphoria followed by a sense of calm
What are some withdrawal effects of heroin use?
increased restlessness, watery eyes, running nose, shivering, nausea, vomiting
What are some withdrawals of prescription drugs?
Sleep disturbances, vomiting, severe cravings
How does methadone work to treat opioid addiction?
Agonist drug:
- Works in the same way as heroin
-Interacts with opioid receptors
How does naltrexone work to treat opioid addiction?
Antagonist drug
- Blocks the effects of heroin by blocking opioid receptors in the brain
What did Amato et al find in the effectiveness of methdaone and a placebo?
No difference in study completion and abstinence rates
