Overview of the Case
The woman is a drug addict who uses stimulants and is determined to quit but keeps relapsing. The drug has affected various aspects of her life, causing her to lose her job and making her turn to crime to afford the drugs. She was arrested at a grocery store trying to steal so that she could afford the drugs. Some of the symptoms that show she was using stimulant drugs include her dilated pupils, high energy, and sweating which indicate high metabolic activity. She has also lost weight and admits to doping for the last six months. Her attempts to quit the drug have been hampered by withdrawal effects such as a craving for the drug, feeling sleepy, depression, and a large appetite. The woman is pregnant and jeopardizes the health of her unborn child, and she must be rehabilitated to safeguard her health and that of her child. The treatment for her addiction should first focus on detoxification, then treating the symptoms of withdrawal, and finally strengthening her resolve to quit.
The Rationale for the Medication Plan
- The medication plan should involve drugs such as benzodiazepines, for example, Alprazolam which combats some of the withdrawal symptoms experienced by the patient. Alprazolam combats withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia, social phobias, and spastic disorders (Balon et al., 2019).
- The patient should also be put on antidepressants such as Prozac, which ensure she does not become depressed in the process of quitting drug abuse (Lerner & Klein, 2019).
- Clonidine is essential for combating sweating, cramps, muscle aches, anxiety, tremors, and seizures (Das et al., 2018).
- Methadone is essential for combating addiction as its mechanism of action is similar to that of stimulant drugs. It binds the same receptors in the brain as these stimulant drugs but does not get the user high (Samet et al., 2018). High doses should be administered initially but gradually reduced during treatment to prevent relapse as methadone is addictive.
References
Balon, R., Silberman, E. K., Starcevic, V., Cosci, F., Freire, R. C., Nardi, A. E., Rickels, K., & Shader, R. (2019). Benzodiazepines, antidepressants and addiction: A plea for conceptual rigor and consistency.Journal of Psychopharmacology, 33(11), 1467–1470.
Das, S., Jain, N., Chavan, B., & Sidana, A. (2018). Efficacy of buprenorphine and clonidine in opioid detoxification: A hospital- based study.Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 60(3), 292.
Lerner, A., & Klein, M. (2019). Dependence, withdrawal and rebound of CNS drugs: an update and regulatory considerations for new drugs development.Brain Communications, 1(1).
Samet, J. H., Botticelli, M., & Bharel, M. (2018). Methadone in primary care — one small step for congress, one giant leap for addiction treatment. New England Journal of Medicine, 379(1), 7–8.