What withdrawal symptoms will you get from Cocaine withdrawal?
Think of getting high on cocaine as taking out a loan – you get an advance on some good feelings while you are high, but then you are saddled with the debt of those same feelings during the "crash" of withdrawal. This is called a rebound effect, part of your body’s way of maintaining homeostasis. Once you have paid off the "debt," you can feel good again naturally.
Cocaine Cravings: Most people who are withdrawing from cocaine experience a strong desire to take more cocaine. This is known as experiencing cravings, and cravings are common among people withdrawing from many addictive substances. Part of the craving is driven by the wish to reduce the symptoms of cocaine withdrawal, and part of it is the desire to re-experience the pleasure of the cocaine rush.
Mood Changes: Feeling depressed, anxious or irritable, also known as having a dysphonic mood, is a normal part of cocaine withdrawal. It is the debt for the euphoria you experienced during the cocaine high. Although these feelings are often intense during acute withdrawal, they tend to pass once the initial acute withdrawal phase is over.
Fatigue: Feeling very tired is a normal part of cocaine withdrawal. You may have tired yourself out through lack of sleep and energetic activity while you were high on cocaine, which will worsen the feelings of fatigue as the effects of cocaine wear off.
Sleep Problems: Despite the tiredness you are probably feeling, cocaine withdrawal often causes sleep problems, such as vivid and unpleasant dreams, insomnia (having trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep), or hypersomnia (too much sleep).
Depression: Using cocaine depletes your brain's supply of "feel good" chemicals. After using cocaine, most people experience a "crash". This refers to a period of intense depression brought about by the absence of feel good chemicals in the brain, like endorphins.
Cocaine Detoxification, Getting rid of cocaine from your system.
Medical Detoxification is a process that systematically and safely withdraws people from addicting drugs, usually under the care of a physician. Drinking alcohol or using drugs can cause physical dependence over time and stopping them can result in withdrawal symptoms in people with this dependence. The detoxification process is designed to treat the immediate bodily effects of stopping drug use and to remove toxins left in the body as a result of the chemicals found in drugs and/or alcohol.
While at the present time, no proven pharmacologic therapy for cocaine addiction exists, several kinds of medications have been used in the detoxification of cocaine. Withdrawal from chronic cocaine use produces anxiety, depression and intense cravings for the drug. Several types of medications address these issues in different ways.
Antidepressant drugs such as desipramine or a combination of phentermine and fenfluramine have been used to reduce cocaine withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety and depression. Benzodiazepines, tranquilizers such as Diazepam, have been used to reverse anxiety induced by cocaine withdrawal. Amantadine, a drug used to treat Parkinson's Disease, may be an effective treatment for cocaine-dependent patients with severe cocaine withdrawal symptoms and may reduce cocaine craving. Bromocriptine, a drug that works on the brain's dopamine system, has been used to decrease the craving for cocaine during detoxification and to reduce mood disturbance.
Propanolol, a beta-blocker drug used to treat high blood pressure, may be useful for severe cocaine withdrawal symptoms, as it slows down the effects of adrenaline, thereby calming the body's "fight or flight" response to stressful situations. This type of drug has been used to treat general anxiety and anxiety associated with alcohol withdrawal. Propranolol's lessening of symptoms such as palpitations and sweating has helped reduce cocaine craving. Its use, however, is not risk free in patients who have taken cocaine and can be associated with decreased blood flow to the heart and other changes that predispose patients to arrhythmia and a severe increase in blood pressure that can lead to a stroke. Delayed toxic effects are possible. Any use of beta-blockers in this setting requires careful monitoring and caution.
0 comments:
Post a Comment