MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'cocaine addiction'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:49:57 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3111692&cid=t_131403_151_f&fid=36896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fv%2FE1RKgBM5EXs%26amp%3Bhl%3Den_US%26amp%3Bfs%3D1%26amp%3Brel%3D0 I have no idea what killed Brittany Murphy.  The press are reporting that she had a ‘heart attack’ at age 32, not fully understanding the difference between a ’heart attack’– which typically refers to a heart that stops functioning because of an inadequate suppy of oxygen, usually from coronary artery blockage– vs. ‘cardiac arrest’, a garden-variety term used by coroners who must cite a cause of death without an autopsy, reliable history, or lab results.  We ALL die of cardiac arrest in the end.  Opiate addicts usually suffer respiratory failure, either because of a reduced drive to breathe secondary to the effects of opiates at the brainstem, or because of a ‘blocked airway’ caused by stomach contents gettting into the thr... Suboxone Talk Zone blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3111692 Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:17:22 +0100 3111692 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1880038&cid=t_131403_151_f&fid=35823&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FAddictionInbox%2F%7E3%2F421994244%2Fpharmacokinetics-of-speed.html Meth lingers longer than coke, targets different brain areas.Scientists at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, already famous for their work on positron emission tomography (PET) scans, have traced the pathways by which methamphetamine lingers in the brain longer than cocaine. The Brookhaven Lab, managed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) tested non-drug abusing volunteers. The results will be published in the November 1 issue of Neuroimage.The researchers injected the 19 volunteers with radioactively tagged doses of the drugs. Scanning cameras then recorded the concentration and distribution of the tagged molecules. Both cocaine and methamphetamine enter the brain quickly—part of the reason why the two drugs are so reinforcing. However, cocaine clears the brain just as quickly, whil... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1880038 Wed, 15 Oct 2008 21:39:00 +0100 1880038 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1631315&cid=t_131403_151_f&fid=35823&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FAddictionInbox%2F%7E3%2F337217953%2Fdrugs-for-cocaine-addiction.html Researchers target GABA, noradrenaline.According to Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, a company conducting research on drugs for the treatment of addiction, "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recognized that cocaine addiction is a 'serious, life-threatening condition for which there is no current drug treatment,' and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has stated that finding a pharmacological treatment for cocaine addiction is their number one research priority."Other researchers view it differently, however. Allan Parry, a drug counsellor in Liverpool, U.K., told New Scientist that such work was "only likely to be relevant to a tiny minority of people. People often give up cocaine because their lifestyle changes or they just grow up."Fighting fire with fire--using drugs t... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1631315 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:12:00 +0100 1631315 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1618124&cid=t_131403_151_f&fid=35823&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FAddictionInbox%2F%7E3%2F334699093%2Fno-pill-for-stimulant-addiction.html Meth and cocaine continue to elude researchers.Despite promising trials of several compounds, methamphetamine addiction remains largely impervious to anti-craving pills and other forms of drug treatment. According to a paper in the June issue of Addiction Science and Clinical Practice, "currently, no medications are approved by the FDA for the treatment of stimulant dependence. However, recent advances in understanding... have allowed researchers to identify several promising candidates."The paper's author, Dr. Kyle Kampman of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Treatment Research Center, notes that "the demand for treatment for cocaine dependence remained roughly level from 1992 to 2005, while the demand for treatment for amphetamine dependence increased about eight-fold... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1618124 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 02:12:00 +0100 1618124 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1583001&cid=t_131403_151_f&fid=35823&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FAddictionInbox%2F%7E3%2F328368635%2Fif-genes-fit.html U.K psychiatrists agree addiction is "genetically determined."Although the verdict is very little in doubt these days, the heritability of addictions was reaffirmed by the U.K.'s Royal College of Psychiatrists in London on July 4th.In a presentation at the group's annual meeting, held at Imperial College, Professor Wim van den Brink of the University of Amsterdam's Academic Medical Center pinned the blame for addiction squarely on the absence of a sufficient number of dopamine receptors in the brain. "Addicts find it difficult to receive pleasure," he said. "They are not likely to enjoy most of the ordinary things most of us enjoy... they are looking for more stimulus." Professor van den Brink also made clear the importance of environmental interactions for gene expression: "You might star... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1583001 Sun, 06 Jul 2008 22:46:00 +0100 1583001 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1526544&cid=t_131403_151_f&fid=35823&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FAddictionInbox%2F%7E3%2F313942615%2Fmeth-to-west-cocaine-to-east-pot-in.html The geography of drug use.To paraphrase an old tune by Gerry Rafferty, we got meth to the left of us, cocaine to the right, and here we are, stuck in the middle with pot.The National Drug Threat Survey of 2007, a product of the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) at the Department of Justice, illustrates the stark nature of regional variation when it comes to illegal drugs of choice in the United States. The map at the right represents the responses of state and local law enforcement agencies to the question: "What drug poses the greatest threat to your area?" Blue indicates cocaine, red indicates methamphetamine, and green stands for marijuana. (Click map for larger image.)According to the Oregonian in Portland, reporting on similar numbers from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Ment... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1526544 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:04:00 +0100 1526544 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1480833&cid=t_131403_151_f&fid=35823&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FAddictionInbox%2F%7E3%2F301426970%2Fepigenetics-and-addiction.html Turning off the genes for substance abuse.If psychiatric disorders, including depression and addiction, are rooted in nature, but modified by nurture, some better way of viewing the interaction between genes and the environment is desperately needed.Enter "epigenetics," defined as the study of how gene expression can be modified without making direct changes to the DNA. Writing in Science News, Tina Hesman Saey explains that "epigenetic mechanisms alter how cells use genes but don't change the DNA code in the genes themselves.... The ultimate effect is to finely tune to what degree a gene is turned on or off. Often the fine tuning is long-lasting, setting the level of a gene's activity for the lifetime of the cell."A common form of epigenetic modification involves adding molecules to the D... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1480833 Fri, 30 May 2008 18:13:00 +0100 1480833 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1469915&cid=t_131403_151_f&fid=35823&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FAddictionInbox%2F%7E3%2F298635426%2Fannals-of-addiction-malcom-mcdowell.html From The Harder They Fall"My father was an alcoholic, so I never really drank much. I kept away from it, but I didn't realize that cocaine was really the same thing. Alcohol eventually started getting a little out of control, but in the form of 'fine wine.' That was my excuse...."So I didn't consider wine a problem, but cocaine was a problem, and that got out of hand quite fast. It had a very bad effect on my marriage. The lies and deceit and everything that goes with addiction. I went from snorting it occasionally to now smoking it, doing freebase. Doing as much as I could. Finish a batch at four in the morning. Driving around the San Fernando Valley looking for some more of it. Driving while completely stoned, of course. How I was never in an accident, I just don't know...."The using end... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1469915 Mon, 26 May 2008 21:28:00 +0100 1469915 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1454668&cid=t_131403_151_f&fid=35823&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FAddictionInbox%2F%7E3%2F293650390%2Fchemistry-of-cocaine-addiction.html Crack, free-base, and powderThe cocaine high is a marvel of biochemical efficiency. Cocaine works primarily by blocking the reuptake of dopamine molecules in the synaptic gap between nerve cells. Dopamine remains stalled in the gap, stimulating the receptors, resulting in higher dopamine concentrations and greater sensitivity to dopamine in general.Since dopamine is involved in moods and activities such as pleasure, alertness and movement, the primary results of using cocaine--euphoria, a sense of well being, physical alertness, and increased energy—are easily understood. Even a layperson can tell when lab rats have been on a cocaine binge. The rapid movements, sniffing, and sudden rearing at minor stimuli are not that much different in principle from the outward signs of cocaine intoxic... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1454668 Mon, 19 May 2008 17:40:00 +0100 1454668 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1325285&cid=t_131403_151_f&fid=35823&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FAddictionInbox%2F%7E3%2F257805620%2Ffewer-people-testing-positive-for-meth.html Quest Diagnostics releases 2007 figuresQuest Diagnostics, the nation’s leading provider of employee drug testing services, reported a 22 percent drop in the number of U.S. workers and job applicants testing positive for methamphetamine last year. The percentage of positive tests for cocaine fell 19 percent in the same period—the largest single-year decline since 1997, the company reported.Overall, drug test positives were at an all-time low (see chart). The company said 3.8 percent of employees had tested positive for drug use in 2007, compared to a high of 13.6 in 1988. Quest Diagnostics based its conclusions on a summary of results from more than 8 million workplace drug tests the company conducted in 2007. The data include pre-employment, random, and for-cause testing. The primary t... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1325285 Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:44:00 +0100 1325285 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1170028&cid=t_131403_151_f&fid=35823&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FAddictionInbox%2F%7E3%2F221378440%2Ffda-puts-cokemeth-treatment-on-fast.html Sabril may block cravings for stimulantsThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given Fast Track designation to vigabatrin, an anticonvulsant marketed as Sabril, for evaluation as an anti-craving drug for cocaine and methamphetamine addiction. If approved, it would be the first medication ever approved for the treatment of addiction to stimulants.The Fast Track designation at the FDA is intended to speed up the evaluation of drug treatments aimed at life-threatening disorders for which no current treatments exist. A 2006 study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration estimated that there were more than one million cocaine and methamphetamine addicts in the U.S.First synthesized as a drug treatment for epilepsy in 1974, Sabril increases brain levels of the ne... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1170028 Wed, 23 Jan 2008 03:21:00 +0100 1170028 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1158318&cid=t_131403_151_f&fid=35823&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FAddictionInbox%2F%7E3%2F218436077%2Fcocaine-is-cocaine-new-sentencing.html U.S. Supreme Court relaxes jail time for crack crimes In a little-noted ruling last month, the U.S. Supreme Court bowed to reality and restored a measure of sanity to cocaine sentencing guidelines. The Court ruled, on a 7-2 vote in the case of Kimbrough v. U.S., that federal judges had the discretion to reduce prison terms for crack-cocaine offenses.The move was an effort by the Supreme Court to bring crack cocaine sentences more in line with sentencing guidelines for powdered cocaine. Many drug experts expressed relief, noting that the changes were long overdue. “There’s no scientific justification to support the current laws,” said National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) director Dr. Nora Volkow.Writing for the majority, Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg noted that the two substances in qu... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1158318 Thu, 17 Jan 2008 20:09:00 +0100 1158318 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1146590&cid=t_131403_151_f&fid=35823&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FAddictionInbox%2F%7E3%2F215722453%2Fvote-of-no-confidence-for-prometa.html Addiction drug loses major fundingIt is composed of three common and inexpensive drugs used for other purposes. It has never been subjected to clinical double blind testing. It costs thousands of dollars for the full treatment package, and the company that markets it says it cures about 80 percent of the drug addicts who use it.If that description sounds familiar—if it seems to give off a faint whiff of blue-green algae and multi-level marketing—such concerns have not stunted the promotion and acceptance of the anti-addiction drug Prometa. But MSNBC reported last week that Prometa, the drug “cocktail” designed to combat addiction to cocaine and methamphetamine, was dealt a severe blow when accountants in Pierce County, Washington froze the funding for an $800,000 pilot program, cit... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1146590 Sun, 13 Jan 2008 00:13:00 +0100 1146590 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=730905&cid=t_131403_151_f&fid=35794&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FCliffsideMalibu%2F%7E3%2F131991187%2F Crack cocaine addiction can be one of the most devastating experiences in the lives of users, and the family, friends and acquaintances of users. Through the comprehensive treatment methods practiced at Cliffside Malibu, crack rehab success can be attained permanently. With all consideration given to other methods of recovery, our methods are proven to have a higher success rate than those which focus primarily on group meeting procedures. Crack rehab is tough, but the individual user must confront both the physical and mental challenges presented during crack rehabilitation. As individuals struggling with crack cocaine addiction know, the experiences in their lives is unique to no one else but themselves. Our methodology guarantees personalized treatment, and our dedication to this ideal ... Cliffside Malibu blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=730905 Tue, 03 Jul 2007 17:56:42 +0100 730905