Many medications are available and prescribed for managing post-withdrawal signs and symptoms of discontinuing the intake of alcohol. Campral is one among them. Medication plans many not have much in common between two people with the same type of clinical condition. Dosages are determined based on your age, gender, how acute is the drinking problem and are also influenced by your body’s ability to respond well to active ingredients of campral. The extent to which your system accepts this drug can be known through the first few dosages. In the same light, a drug called naltrexone can also handle some of the substance abuse or alcohol addiction problems. It becomes essential to know the differences between the two drugs; it is vital to know how each drug works, their side effects and who can benefit more – you may need to know these prior to starting your treatment plan.
Drinking of alcohol – if left unchecked – can soon become an addiction. Once you are addicted to it, you may need a lot of support to get off the habit. Most drinkers start the habit in several social gatherings and celebratory events. But, over a period of time, alcohol starts playing a key role in your life; it may influence many of your decisions, for example – whom to have friendships with. It is needless to say that you may prefer to hang out with people who drink regularly. Getting addicted to alcohol is very much a clinical condition; this condition needs treatment like any other ailment or a medical problem.
Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol can also lead to other complications; most common health problems among drinkers include impairment of cardiac health, hepatic conditions such as inflammation of liver or other complications such as cirrhosis. How to know if you are turning into an addict? There are several tell-tale signs; a few glaring signs include – hiding your drinking problem or dependencies from your family, failing to have the aftereffects of a drink – i.e., what is widely referred to as a “hangover”, avoiding people who are non-drinkers, starting to drink at your office or college.
The list of discomforts associated with habitual drinking is in fact quite long. There are some common discomforts your drinking habit is capable of causing. Regular intake of alcohol can blur your vision, your blood sugar levels may raise-up or get lowered, you may develop stomach ulcers, your immunity levels may slowly turn suboptimal (thus making your more vulnerable to infections); it is also possible to witness loss of bones or a severe impairment of your bone health. In some remote cases, alcohol drinking – especially, at excessive levels and on a regular basis – can also lead to onset of cancers. People who drink and drive pose even greater (or, graver) risks to fellow-users of roads. The accidents caused by people who drink and drive have taken a sizable share of road accidents and alarmingly, such mishaps are on the rise with each passing year. Last but not the least, odds of people who develop dependencies on alcoholic drinks committing suicides or homicides tends to be quite high.
Campral for those who have stopped drinking alcohol
Alcoholism needs a friendly ambience to help you come off abuse of intoxicants such as alcoholic drinks. When the home setting is not very supportive, this can soon worsen your drinking problems. Scolding or abusing the drinker can only make guilt to develop; once the drinker is guilty, it is often a downward spiral of a long-term addiction. You are advised to spend quality time with the drinker if the person is a close friend or a family member. You also need to know that he / she has opted to drink because of some unmet emotional desires. Such an understanding is a starting point of a successful treatment process.
People who recently stopped their drinking habit may need a whole lot of support. Unless their urges to restart drinking are suppressed and arrested, they are bound to restart their drinking spells soon. So, this is exactly where medications like campral are administered; these drugs aim to bring back the right balance of chemicals that serve as transmitters of brain signals. However, the most basic thing for the intake of this drug is to stop your drinking habit. Among drinkers, this drug is rendered useless – regardless of the extent of doses taken as part of your medication plan. The drug is not be taken on a self-medication mode; nor is this medication available as an over the counter (OTC) drug. It needs to be taken strictly as per medication plans of your treating doctor. Above all, another person – perhaps, a friend or a close family member who has similar problems may not be given with the same dosage plan. Your med plan is unique and is dependent on several factors – namely, age, prior ailments, gender, responses of your system for the first few dosages, etc.
Naltrexone and its uses
This drug helps people who are used to taking intoxicants (such as opiates) from stopping the habit. It is mainly used for its ability to minimize the effects of opioids. Administration of this drug helps stop your dependencies on several opioid substances. It has the same effect on people who are addicted to alcohol; the drug’s active ingredients can decrease your cravings to have an intoxicating substance. You may need to know that intake of naltrexone is not considered as a permanent remedy for treating alcoholism or dependencies on alcoholic drinks.
It is dangerous and extremely unsafe to use substances such as heroin or any other forms of opioids while you are taking naltrexone. People who combined these two drugs may witness fatal outcomes such as falling into a coma and – in some remote cases – may witness death. Another precaution you need to stay aware of is – this drug can injure your liver, if taken for a longer term. The tell-tale signs of a likely hepatic condition are quite distinct by nature. These include discoloration of urine, acute pains in your lower abdomen, etc.
Those who are living with withdrawal symptoms of alcohol or opioid drugs also need to stay away from using naltrexone. You need to know that drugs used for the treatment of common cold or pains may have some share of alcohol or opioids in them. Hence, if you have taken any meds for common cold or killing pain, you are not advised to take naltrexone for at least 10 to 15 days. Likewise, it is very important to talk to your treating physician if you have medical conditions such as renal problems, hepatic conditions such as inflammation of liver (hepatitis), cirrhosis of liver, etc.
This drug is usually administered once in 30 days. Always remember to take this drug under the care and supervision of a qualified medical professional. If you are witnessing side effects such as itchiness, inflammation of oral or facial organs and formation of lumps, you need to inform your medical team about such conditions. It is likely that your doctor may stop administering this drug, and may prescribe safer alternatives. The chosen drug is often checked by administering it in very low doses; once your body is used to these low dosages, a maintenance dose is given to minimize your yearning to drink alcohol or to use opioids.
Can these drugs help manage nervousness or anxieties associated with discontinuing opioids or alcohol?
It is a common thing to experience bouts of anxieties as well as nervousness when you are not taking substances like opioids or alcohol – especially, if you have been habituated to their intake. These drugs can reduce your cravings to a considerable extent, by calming your mind. You need to remember that campral possesses needful approvals from the nodal drug approving authority – i.e., the food and drug administration (FDA) in the US. The clearances given to campral is chiefly to decrease your dependencies on alcoholic drinks.
These drugs are administered only when you have fully discontinued the consumption of alcohol and / or opiates. The effects of these drugs are limited if you are using them amid having withdrawal signs; these signs can include tremors, sleeplessness, involuntary twitching of muscles, longing to have a drink, etc. Thus, these drugs can help you remain sober for long, without succumbing to the pull of intoxicants like opioids or alcohol. Especially, naltrexone denies you the sensations of “high” – this remains a key reason why people remain addicted to intoxicants. Once you are deprived of the characteristic benefits of the intoxicant, it may soon lead to your coming off an addiction. In the same lines, a few other drugs go to an extreme level to help you stop ick an addiction. Antabuse is a drug in this genre – this drug makes you fall ill each time you take an intoxicant such as alcohol and or opioids.
A holistic treatment plan to kick substance abuse or alcoholism away
Campral is taken in its standard dosage form; this is pegged at 666 milligrams (mg). You can take this dose either after or before food. Intake of these drugs needs to be accompanied by a few other measures. It may be required to have frequent discussions with a qualified therapist or a mental healthcare provider, meet with friends or family members (ensure that they are non-drinkers) to have open talks about your unmet emotional needs, make needful changes to your daily dietary habits and of course, pursue a well-regulated exercise plan.
Apart from these, it is equally important to become part of sober groups or communities like alcoholics anonymous (AA) or other sober networks. Such communities help by sharing others’ experiences and also help reinforce self-belief. Talk to your doctor or a qualified dietitian about the alterations you may need to make to your daily diet intake. Primarily, you may be required to make some changes to ensure the food you take is fully balanced. In some one-off instances, your medical team may advise intake of antidepressants to ensure emotional / mental wellbeing.
In sum, campral is not to be taken as an OTC medicine. It is always consumed under the care and supervision of a qualified clinical practitioner. Your treatment plan is dependent on multiple factors such as prior disorders, your age, how your body reacts to the initial dosages, etc. Naltrexone can help people who are used to taking opioids or other such drugs; this drug helps stop dependencies on such intoxicants. It is also administered to treat those people who were addicted to alcohol.
These two drugs help minimize your cravings in their own unique ways. Naltrexone prevents intoxicants from giving a high feeling soon after intake of intoxicants. This helps control the abuse of opioids or alcohol among users. Last but not least, none of these drugs are regarded as a complete cure for substance abuse or their withdrawal symptoms. You are advised to pursue a comprehensive treatment plan – comprising changes to your diet, adhering to a workout plan as well as becoming a member of sober groups in order to effectively control any likely urges to use an intoxicant.
Education: Master’s in Nursing (MSN) from Johns Hopkins University. Experience: 7 years writing for online health portals and nursing journals, specializing in patient education and chronic illness management.
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