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Simplepowa
In Pursuit of Knowledge


Registered: 03/06/09
Posts: 4,310
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Cold Turkey Drug Withdrawal Could Trigger Mental Decline, Studies Suggest
#19144954 - 11/16/13 11:36 AM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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MASSACHUSETTS - Can quitting drugs without treatment trigger a decline in mental health? That appears to be the case in an animal model of morphine addiction. Georgetown University Medical Center researchers say their observations suggest that managing morphine withdrawal could promote a healthier mental state in people.
"Over time, drug-abusing individuals often develop mental disorders," says Italo Mocchetti, PhD, a professor of neuroscience. "It's been thought that drug abuse itself contributes to mental decline, but our findings suggest that 'quitting cold turkey' can also lead to damage."
In the study published in the November issue of Brain, Behavior and Immunity and presented at Neuroscience 2013, Mocchetti and his research colleagues treated the animals with morphine, or allowed them to undergo withdrawal by stopping the treatment.
Then, they measured pro-inflammatory cytokines, which can promote damage and cell death, and the protein CCL5, which has various protective effects in the brain.
"Interestingly, we found that treating the addicted animals with morphine both increased the protective CCL5 protein while decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokines, suggesting a beneficial effect," Mocchetti explains.
The animals that weren't treated during withdrawal had the opposite results -- decreased CCL5 and increased levels of the damaging cytokines.
"From these findings, it appears that morphine withdrawal may be a causative factor that leads to mental decline, presenting an important avenue for research in how we can better help people who are trying to quit using drugs," concludes Mocchetti.
Story Source:
The above story is based on materials provided by Georgetown University Medical Center. Journal Reference:
Lee A. Campbell, Valeriya Avdoshina, Summer Rozzi, Italo Mocchetti. CCL5 and cytokine expression in the rat brain: Differential modulation by chronic morphine and morphine withdrawal. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 2013; 34: 130 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2013.08.006
ScienceDaily.com, 11/8/13 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131108112244.htm
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Carl Sagan - "Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people." --- Robert Pirsig - "When one person suffers from a delusion it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion it is called religion." --- Brian Cox - "[One] problem with today’s world is that everyone believes they have the right to express their opinion AND have others listen to it. The correct statement of individual rights is that everyone has the right to an opinion, but crucially, that opinion can be roundly ignored and even made fun of, particularly if it is demonstrably nonsense."
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morrowasted
Worldwide Stepper



Registered: 10/30/09
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Re: Cold Turkey Drug Withdrawal Could Trigger Mental Decline, Studies Suggest [Re: Simplepowa]
#19145071 - 11/16/13 12:16 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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interesting. I wonder if this applies to all kinds of drug withdrawal like the title of the article seems to imply
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CidneyIndole
www.shroomery.OG



Registered: 05/16/05
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Re: Cold Turkey Drug Withdrawal Could Trigger Mental Decline, Studies Suggest [Re: Simplepowa]
#19145120 - 11/16/13 12:35 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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Well, I've always said, Cold Turkey is only good for sandwiches. At least when it comes to the really hard, physically addictive stuff.
This does, of course, make someone like myself (somewhat anxiously) wonder: Exactly how far into "withdrawal" does one have to go before cytokines increase (and by how much?) etc....?
In other words, are we potentially doing some damage every time we feel remotely in withdrawal? (This can happen sometimes, even with a moderately slow taper-- depending on how quick the taper is, the drug in question, etc)
-------------------- ------------------------ I am me. We are You.
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RogerAdams
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Re: Cold Turkey Drug Withdrawal Could Trigger Mental Decline, Studies Suggest [Re: CidneyIndole]
#19147752 - 11/16/13 11:06 PM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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This was an interesting article. I think it might specifically be geared at the elderly in nursing homes who are usually treated more callously and placed on and off medications abruptly. I am not saying this is right, but I am just saying it happens alot. Maybe the authors feel sudden withdrawal is triggering or speeding up the progression of dementia.
I have read that generally a change of about 10% is done with each change until reaching the lowest dose before stopping it totally. How quick or slow the taper is with dose changes depends on how long the patient has been using it. There are also tricks that are done during the final step like using a transdermal Clonidine patch (lasts for a week) and benzodiazepines to help reduce some of the symptoms. Heading off the symptoms before they become full blown is harder dose right, but is always better than trying to treat the symptoms after your body starts telling you it hates you.
The process is different with other medications, even those in the same class such as withdrawing from oxycodone vs morphine or withdrawing from suboxone vs directly from morphine. Tapering needs to be done under the supervision of a physician who is very familiar with the withdrawal process and not just the therapeutic prescribing and dosing of the drug.
There can be a hierarchy in care as well as luck involved. By that I mean don't go to some joe-schmoe clinic or urgent care and expect to be handled in the best possible manner. Sometimes such a place is all that is available and not every single person working there is bad. Sometimes at a good place you get bad luck and get taken care of by someone who does not know what they are doing.
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Ojom
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Re: Cold Turkey Drug Withdrawal Could Trigger Mental Decline, Studies Suggest [Re: morrowasted]
#19148568 - 11/17/13 06:20 AM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
morrowasted said: interesting. I wonder if this applies to all kinds of drug withdrawal like the title of the article seems to imply
QFT
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Konyap

Registered: 06/30/07
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Re: Cold Turkey Drug Withdrawal Could Trigger Mental Decline, Studies Suggest [Re: Ojom]
#19148804 - 11/17/13 09:00 AM (10 years, 3 months ago) |
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could be a defense mechanism so you don't get hooked again
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