A truly supportive setting is a prerequisite to come out of substance abuse or habitual drinking. An environment that is not empathic can lead to guilt to set in; once, guilt comes in, it can only worsen your addiction. For example, people who are addicted to alcohol may require someone to talk to them. Such talks and discussions help them to speak out their emotional requirements and deeper feelings. Also, drugs like campral can offer much needed support in managing your yearnings for an intoxicating drink. How? This drug sets the neuro-transmitting chemicals in a fine balance and calms your cravings. As one of the essential prerequisites, it is not a safe practice to drink once you have starting taking dosages of campral. But, can you use this drug to work as an antidepressant? It is a safe thing to know about this in greater detail.
Addiction to alcohol is treated as a clinical condition. Drinking alcohol has now become a common practice in many get-togethers and several group-based events. But, whoever drinks cannot be called as being addicted to drinking habit. Moreover, addiction or dependencies on alcohol do not start on one fine day. The habit creeps in slowly over a period of time. Soon, you may find it difficult to stay away from a drink. Substance abuse of alcohol shows up through a few characteristic signs, namely – wanting to maintain friendship with people who drink regularly or wishing to keep away from those who do not drink, concealing the habit from your family members or friends (i.e., those who do not drink), wishing to have a drink at odd hours – say, early in the morning or during noon times, etc.
At the most acute stage of alcohol addiction, you may fail to have the aftereffects of a drink (termed as a “hangover”), or you may start drinking at inappropriate places – such as your workplace or at a place of worship. Not stopping with these odd practices, you are also likely to experience a few medical problems. Most common among them include heart conditions (such as erratic heart beats, cardiac arrest or heart failure) as well as a few liver-related problems (like swelling of liver or cirrhosis). Habitual drinkers may also witness a few other clinical conditions – such as blurred vision, bone related problems or loss of bones; a marked increase in blood sugar levels (if left unchecked, this may lead to diabetes and a few other autoimmune conditions), etc. It is also possible to develop episodes of stomach injuries or peptic ulcers. You may see your immunity levels going down; last but the not the least, risks of cancers may turn high.
Campral and its uses
Campral is known to reduce your longings for an alcoholic drink. This drug minimizes your anxieties as well as agitation; these signs are commonly experienced soon after stopping a long-term drinking habit. This drug essentially handles your post-discontinuation cravings for alcohol. These cravings often manifest as increased levels of anxiety, being in a depressed state of mind, inability to sleep (insomnia and a few other sleep related problems), tremors or involuntary twitches, sweating too much, etc.
Campral is often administered as part of a comprehensive plan for treat excessive dependencies on alcohol or being addicted to such intoxicants. A holistic and well-balanced treatment method includes changes made to dietary habits, becoming a member of sober communities or peer groups such as alcoholics anonymous and adding workouts or active exercises as part of your daily lifestyle. You need to know that doses of campral may vary from one person to another – i.e., no two people may be administered with the same dosage plan. Each plan is influenced by your gender, age, current clinical condition as well as the extent of addiction. Above all, doses may also be determined by how well your body reacts to the first few doses of campral. Hence, it becomes important to always take this medication based on the instructions of your treating physician or a pharmacist.
Can campral help reduce your depression levels?
If you are living with mood shifts or feeling depressed, soon after discontinuation of alcohol, it is a natural occurrence. You may need support to kick the drinking habit more effectively, and for the long term. It is clear that campral helps to calm your mind. This action is possible because of this drug’s ability to control a few neuro transmitting chemicals. These transmitting substances can help reduce your depression, but only to a moderate extent. However, this marginal boosting of your moods can help reduce your cravings to a significant level. But, this drug must not be mistaken as an antidepressant. In this light, it is important to know that campral has necessary approvals from the food and drug administration (FDA) – the US-based, federal drug clearing authority; always remember that approvals have been issued for its use to reduce addiction to alcoholic drinks or to minimize the dependencies on alcohol. Thus, reducing depression levels is not a core capability and hence must not be used over an extended span of time – i.e., over medium or long term.
The mild relief this drug may provide from depression may come by only after you have stopped taking alcohol. So, you must never take this drug when you are consuming alcohol. This can only have counterproductive results; in other words, you may find your depression levels going high. If you are feeling depressed, it is important to talk to a mental caregiver or a psychologist. If your mental condition is acute, it is likely that your caregiver may prescribe an antidepressant. Along with administration of antidepressants, you may also be advised to pursue a daily workout regimen, alter your dietary habits as well as spend more time with your family members, friends or loved ones.
How to take campral?
People who have recently stopped drinking must quickly start taking drugs – such as campral – to arrest a likely relapse of the habit. The urge to start drinking again may show up when your cravings are not suppressed effectively. It is here the active ingredients of campral come to help; the drug manages your cravings and removes emotional disturbances related to stopping the drinking habit (i.e., if you are used to drinking for a fairly long period). Talk to your caregiver or a pharmacist if you are unclear about depression and other symptoms of withdrawal. In this scheme of things, campral can only reduce post-withdrawal symptoms, and these may show up as being restless, inability to fall asleep and signs such as excessive levels of sweating, shakes, increase in body temperature, loss of appetite, being depressed, etc.
You may also need to know that campral must be taken as per the advice / instructions of your treating doctor. The typical dose stands at 666 milligrams (mg) which is usually consumed after or before food. The key thing is – start this dose as soon as you have stopped drinking. Delayed treatment plan can pose dangers of a possible relapse of drinking. Campral often forms part a comprehensive approach to treat drinking problems; you may need to (1) consult with a mental caregiving staff (who can help manage unmet emotional requirements), (2) make changes to your daily diet and (3) pursue regular exercises or workouts. It is a healthy thing to be part of a few peer groups – like the alcoholics anonymous or other sober groups. Such peer groups help recover faster, and more importantly help reduce risks of a possible relapse of the drinking habit.
You may need to talk to a qualified dietitian to know more on alterations required on your daily intake of foods. You may need to give up some spicy or oily foods, and switch over to foods which are high on nutritional value. If your depression is severe or very acute, your medical team will prescribe an antidepressant to boost your emotional wellbeing.
In sum, depression may be an outcome of discontinuing the intake of alcohol; this mental condition is more likely to occur if you had been drinking for a very long time. Campral can help calm brain activity by striking a right balance of neuro transmitting chemicals. However, campral is not an antidepressant. Also, campral has been approved for use by the food and drug administration (FDA) – the US-based, for its ability to decrease addiction to alcohol. Hence, reducing your depression levels is not one of the key strengths of this drug. Upon being depressed – especially, soon after kicking away the drinking habit, you are advised to talk to a qualified mental health expert. The mental healthcare team is likely to prescribe an antidepressant if your mental / emotional wellbeing needs a significant boost.
Education: Master’s in Clinical Nutrition from Tufts University. Experience: 6 years of experience as a registered dietitian and freelance writer, creating content on nutritional science and weight management for various health websites.
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