The makers of the anti-convulsant drug Topamax (active ingredient topiramate)- now most often prescribed for migraine prevention - hope that it can also help alcoholics loose their desire to drink. The goal is to give Topamax to alcoholics who want to quit drinking - even before they have already stopped drinking. The initial alcohol addiction research on Topamax is promising, but also controversial.
When battling any addiction, the combatant needs all of the help they can get. Many recovered addicts give the credit to their success to addiction counseling, as well as the support of family or preferred Deity. You don’t have to go to an expensive psychiatrist in a suit in order to get addiction counseling. There are many licensed therapists and counselors all over the place. One of the best addiction counselors I ever met was a registered NHS nurse in England.
If you have been diagnosed with a panic disorder, major depression or anxiety, you may be prescribed an anti-depressant called Xanax. (Yes - you can spell it the same way backwards as forwards.) You might wonder if you can get addicted to Xanax. Oprah Winfrey had a show on Xanax addiction, after all. If you take Xanax as prescribed, then there is really no chance you can develop a Xanax addiction.
It’s easier to get a psychological degree than a psychiatric one, as you will not need the extensive medical school training required of psychiatrists. However, you will not be able to prescribe medications for your patients. For some psychologists, this is a negative, but to some it is a bonus, as they aren’t required to learn about the latest drugs. But drugs now can be prescribed by general practitioners, so you must provide another vitally needed service. Drugs can’t do their work without counseling. This is especially true in the specialist field of addiction psychology.
Every year millions of Americans try unsuccessfully to stop smoking. A nicotine addiction can be one of the hardest of all to break, especially if you are not aware of the many things that you can do to help your body give up this terrible addiction. If you are thinking about quitting smoking, but aren’t quite sure where to start, read on. We’ve compiled a comprehensive list of steps that you can put into action immediately to help you in your fight against your nicotine addiction. Please keep in mind that an addiction to nicotine can be extraordinarily hard to break, and the only real way you will succeed is if you truly want to quit.
Many a parent questions their teens behavior at one point in time or another. But every parent’s worst is always that they will one day find that their child has become addicted to some sort of illicit drug. Watching anxiously for any sign of erratic behavior, has caused many parents’ hair to turn grey virtually overnight. This isn’t necessary if you know how to recognize the effects of drug addiction in your teen, and are able to stop their destructive behavior before it gets the best of them.
With Prozac being prescribed around the world for everything from depression to obesity, there are many of those who wonder if the drug is really as safe as the drug companies and doctors are telling us. Since the 1980’s, there have been numerous studies on the effects of Prozac, and also on the Prozac addiction withdrawal symptoms that may follow cessation of taking the drug.
If you have ever experienced the pain of extreme heartburn or ulcers, then you can well understand the willingness of those suffering from these conditions to take whatever pills their doctors may prescribe in an effort to stop the pain. One of the most widely prescribed drugs used to treat severe heartburn, ulcers, or acid reflux disease is a purple pill called Nexium. Sadly, many people who take this drug for an extended period of time, develop a Nexium addiction that can have serious ramifications.
One of the great new therapeutic treatments for addicts of any kind was to for the families and friends of the addict to hold what was called an addiction intervention. This is when the addict is surrounded by everyone who cares about him or her and told to get help, because the addiction was hurting them. Over the years, employers and employees have even held addiction interventions. Some have even been captured on reality TV shows, such as VH1’s Breaking Bonaduce. Addiction interventions are also pretty standard fare on talk shows such as Dr. Phil. But do they actually work?
Rehab seems to be the new Club Med for young, beautiful celebrities such as pop starts and actresses. Although drug addiction rehabilitation centers have helped turn the lives around of celebrities like Robert Downey, Jr, can they also help the average person or person down on their luck who is a drug addict? The short answer is no. No one pill, speech or drug addiction rehabilitation center will work turning an addict around all by themselves. The addict has to want to be cured and work at getting cured.