AccuDiagnostics

Posts Tagged ‘drug use’

Signs Of Stress

Stress, a new study has said, can precipitate a low mood leading to relapse in cocaine seeking.

The research team from University of Washington (UW) has shown that stress evoked changes in circuits, which regulated serotonin in certain parts of the brain that precipitates a low mood and a relapse in cocaine-seeking.

“The impetus for this research was our interest in how stress alters the brain’s cell receptors and protein signals in ways that lead to mood changes, depression, anxiety, and drug seeking,” said Dr. Michael Bruchas, acting instructor of pharmacology at the University of Washington (UW).

“Stress appears to be a motivator for the relapse in drug seeking,” said researcher Dr. Benjamin Land, a former UW doctoral student now in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale University.

“They feel crummy so they go where there might be something that will make them feel okay again,” Land added.

They head to a spot that had the drug available in the past, an action researchers call cocaine place preference.

It is believed that drug seeking is regulated by dopamine, a chemical nerve signal associated with motivating and rewarding behaviour.

Dopamine may still have a key role, the researchers noted, which is why they were surprised to find harmful effects of stress converging in a brain region- the dorsal raphe nucleus –where nerve cells that use serotonin, a chemical nerve signal that has been associated with wake and sleep cycles, mood, anger, status and aggression, are abundant.

These nerve cells also project to other structures found on either side of the brain – the nucleus accumbens – which are thought to play roles in feeding and drug addiction.

The researchers revealed that the dynorphin/kappa opioid system, found in certain brain cells, can be activated either through repeated stress or by giving a chemical that triggers a receptor on the cells. Activation of this system produces what is called conditioned place aversion in mice. They avoid smells, locations or tactile sensations similar to those present during a troubling experience.

Research suggests that this response is mediated by the stress-evoked release of dynorphins, the “feel bad” brain signals.

Scientists had previously proposed that an activated dynorphin/kappa opioid receptor system stopped the release of dopamine and thereby made the mice feel miserable enough to cause aversions.

When scientists inactivated the kappa opioid receptors involved in the serotonin system they were able to block both the aversive responses and the stress-induced reinstatement of cocaine-place preference.

The study appears in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Red Bull and Cocaine?

With a tiny 0.13 micrograms per can, Red Bull issued a confident statement asserting that the cola-flavored drink is “harmless and marketable in both the US and Europe.”

While Germany’s Federal Institute for Risk Assessment concurs that the cocaine level is too low to pose a health risk, the beverage has been banned in six German states. The Health Institute, who originally conducted the test, states that a consumer would have to drink 12,000 liters of Red Bull Cola for any adverse effects to be felt.

Austria’s Health Ministry has agreed with Germany’s findings, conducting independent tests just a week after the reports surfaced in Germany. Although the drink is considered safe, it violated the law as cocaine is not a legally permitted ingredient.

Similar tests have been conducted across the globe, resulting in bans of the beverage in Jordan, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Sally Wong, Hong Kong’s commissioner for narcotics, said the government is exploring legal liability for importers and retailers, as “cocaine is a dangerous drug. The possession and dealing of the drug is a criminal offense.”

It is still readily available across the United States at this time.

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Information is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. AccuDiagnostics does not engage in the practice of medicine. The information provided should not be used to diagnose or treat any medical condition. Readers are urged to consult a licensed physician before starting or stopping any medical treatment. Any action by the reader in response to this information is at their discretion, and AccuDiagnostics can in no way be held liable for such action.

Methadone, a low potency opiate, is frequently used as an “intermediate” in rehabilitation and detoxification programs. However, as an addictive opiate substance, methadone itself can be extremely habit forming. Often, people in rehab who have experienced many relapses will be prescribed methadone for long periods of time, perhaps even years. Ultimately, methadone is a replacement addiction for something worse. Many methadone addicts carry valid prescriptions, and almost all will have previously been addicted to another, stronger opiate.

More than 100 tons of methadone are produced in the United States annually, and more than 25 million prescriptions are written for it. This dangerous, yet beneficial narcotic is listed among the top 10 drugs reported in drug abuse deaths.

It has been estimated that 60% of methadone users are gainfully employed in a variety of professions, many of which are white-collar jobs where drug use is not regularly suspected. The fact is this: although methadone deserves its place as a treatment for hazardous drug addictions, it is in itself an opiate-derived drug. In 2001, there were 90,232 emergency department visits related to opiate abuse. It is estimated that opiates are involved with 14% of national emergency department visits annually.

Whether an individual is prescribed methadone for chronic pain management or for opiate addiction maintenance, methadone is in itself a highly addictive and therefore very dangerous drug. Heroin addicts will often resort to methadone if they cannot get access to their preferred drug. Annually, 20% of heroin addicts in the United States alone switch to methadone maintenance treatment. Many more subsidize their addictions with methadone pills purchased on the street.

When used properly, methadone can assist substance abusers with the transition to a normal, substance-free life. Like any other substance vice, it can be hazardous — even deadly — if abused.

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Information is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. AccuDiagnostics does not engage in the practice of medicine. The information provided should not be used to diagnose or treat any medical condition. Readers are urged to consult a licensed physician before starting or stopping any medical treatment. Any action by the reader in response to this information is at their discretion, and AccuDiagnostics can in no way be held liable for such action.