With the constant influx of users entering drug rehab centers, the hunt for a successful cocaine treatment continues. Medical experts not only want to find something that can eliminate the need for the substance and ease the effects of withdrawal, but they also hope to find something that can reverse any damage it has done to the abuser. During the journey to find these solutions, researchers have tried many solutions and several tests are still under way.
Medications For Cocaine Treatment
Pharmaceuticals are by far the most popular methods currently undergoing testing. Drug rehab centers hope one of these experimental drugs will help control the severity of withdrawal at the very least. Obviously, rigorous testing is needed to ensure they are not only effective, but also safe for humans to take.
Two medications that are showing some positive signs are modafanil and Topiramate. For heavier users, baclofen has also undergone extensive testing with more underway. To combat some of the emotional effects of this substance, researchers have tested antidepressants with some success. Finally, experts have found the common treatment for alcoholism, disulfiram, has some positive results with cocaine addiction as long as it is accompanied by counseling and other behavioral treatment.
Repairing The Damage
Drug rehab experts are as concerned about dealing with the damage caused by this substance as they are about using cocaine treatment to stop the addiction. One of the most serious effects is the chemical imbalance in the brain. With each hit a user takes, the substance lowers the impulses and harms the mental processing portions of the brain.
Experts believe that behavioral treatments would be far more effective if they were able to return the brain back to its original state. Experts at the UT Houston Substance Abuse Research Medication Development Center are testing a medication that binds itself to receptors in the brain. This will hopefully help control dopamine levels and repair the brain.
A Sweet Treat For Abusers And Drug Rehab Centers
A study completed by researchers from Pennsylvania and Korea have discovered that a substance found in licorice called isoliquiritigenin or ISL might work as an effective cocaine treatment. This substance causes your body to increase its production of dopamine, making it addictive.
ISL might stop the substance from causing this effect ultimately eliminating the 'benefit' of taking the drug to start with. Rats injected with the substance showed 50% improvement. If this were to work, it would make cocaine far less addictive and easier to treat. However, it only works (according to testing) if the injection is administered close to the time of the abuse.
Drug rehab centers as well as those suffering from abuse are all hoping for a cocaine treatment that is truly helpful and safe. They want to repair the physical and emotional damage done, help ease the severity of withdrawal, and prevent people from becoming addicted. While researchers have yet to find anything that is truly effective, they will continue to search until they do or the use of this substance ends.
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