Anti-Craving Medication
In terms of their role in drug treatment and alcohol rehab, anti-craving drugs are prescribed medications to be used to assist in modifying craving when a patient has stopped using alcohol or drugs. Research shows that these medications work best as part of a program which also includes counseling and group support, and should not be used when someone continues to abuse alcohol or drugs. Anti-craving drugs are not intended to reduce or eliminate withdrawal symptoms. The medical staff at Caron Texas takes a conservative approach when it comes to prescribing any psychiatric medications, including anti-craving medications, as part of personalized rehab programs.
Caron Texas does use anti-craving medications to assist patients in managing their cravings. There are two types of anti-craving medications used in drug and alcohol treatment and recovery programs, anti-craving medications and substitution medications. The more commonly used anti-craving medications act in one of several ways:
- Reduce the experienced cravings for drugs
- Reduce the pleasure of consumed drugs or
- Cause severe physical reactions, making the consumption of drugs a very negative experience for the patient
Substitution style medications, also known as maintenance drugs, transfer addiction from the drug that is being abused, to a safer drug that may still be abused. The medical team at Caron Texas does not use maintenance drugs for treatment of chemical dependency. We will use mood altering drugs for purposes of medical detoxification but not as part of maintenance program for drug treatment and recovery.
Researchers at the University of Texas, Health Science Center in San Antonio noticed that patients being treated with certain anti-craving drugs reported a significantly lower desire to consume alcohol. The COMBINE study (“Combining Medications and Behavioral Interventions for Alcoholism”) is an eleven site national study funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). First launched in 2001, the COMBINE study supports using anti-craving drugs combined with behavioral treatment for alcohol abuse and drug treatment patients. On the basis of these and other research studies, it is generally accepted that the combination of drug therapy and some form of psychotherapy is usually the most successful at treating alcoholism. In its treatment programs, Caron Texas supports and practices the findings of the COMBINE study,
Anti-craving medications must be prescribed by a medical doctor and work best when part of an overall treatment plan geared toward patient recovery. In the specific instance of anti-craving drugs, the highly experienced Caron Texas medical staff and addiction specialists work together carefully to diagnose each patient to insure there is sufficient evidence to warrant prescribing such medication.