What Are Addiction Treatment Medications?

Addiction treatment medications help treat substance use disorders (SUDs). Pharmacotherapy refers to the use of pharmaceuticals in the treatment of medical conditions. There are four uses for medications in addiction treatment:

  • Manage withdrawal symptoms.
  • Lessen your desire to use drugs.
  • Assist in avoiding a relapse.
  • Manage comorbid mental health issues (e.g., anxiety or depressive disorders).

Simply put, these prescription medications are used as a relapse prevention strategy to lessen cravings as people continue their recovery from addiction.  A certain period of abstinence from the drug of abuse is required before starting treatment with some medications for opioid and alcohol use disorders.

Common Addiction Treatment Medications Used At Taylor Center

These addiction treatment medications, which are designed to mitigate withdrawal symptoms and curb cravings, are ineffective towards some forms of addiction. The medications aren’t a panacea, but they have helped many people with alcoholism, opiate addiction, and nicotine addiction. Some examples of such drugs are listed below.

  1. Disulfiram

This medication blocks the body’s processing of alcohol, making it helpful in treating alcohol withdrawal and cravings. To put it another way, someone using this medication would not experience the high associated alcohol use, which might lessen their urge to drink.

This medication was created to treat opiate addiction by lessening cravings, and it has now been discovered to have the same effect on alcohol intake. According to the National Library of Medicine, the medication has the most significant potential for success when combined with psychosocial therapy.

  1. Buprenorphine

Buprenorphine, like methadone, is an opioid replacement therapy that reduces opioid cravings. On the other hand, its potential for addiction is considerably smaller. According to SAMSHA’s description, its effects plateau at a specific dosage; thus, taking more of it won’t make you feel “high” anymore. It is not advisable to abuse buprenorphine since it is commonly paired with naloxone, a substance that reverses the body’s response to opioids.

This opioid addiction management drug has gained widespread recognition for its effectiveness in reducing drug cravings both during and after addiction treatment. Although it is an opioid in its own right, methadone is thought to have lesser addiction potential, making it suitable for use in satisfying cravings during the tapering-off period. Long-term methadone maintenance treatment is necessary for some patients with a greater risk of relapse.

  1. Gabapentin and other antiepileptic drugs

Newer studies have shown that anti-epileptic medications like gabapentin and topiramate might alter the body’s response to addictive substances, hence reducing the desire to partake in such activities. These medications work as neurotransmitters to lessen cravings for substances that also limit brain cell activity, including alcohol, cocaine and opioids. Studies involving these drugs in the context of addiction therapy are now quite active.

Visit The Most Effective Detox and Addiction Treatment Center in Dallas

Our staff at Taylor Recovery Center is here to help if you or a beloved one is struggling with substance abuse and you have questions regarding drug detox meds. Please get in touch with our Dallas residential treatment facility right now for more information about our treatment programs.