Antibody Therapy May Prolong Effect of Treatment for Meth Addiction

/BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

November 5th, 2014/

An antibody therapy could prolong the effect of medication designed to treat methamphetamine addiction, a study in mice suggests.

There is currently no medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration for methamphetamine addiction. Scientists are developing promising treatments that trigger an immune system response, the Los Angeles Times reports.

If a daily anti-addiction medication is developed for meth, it will face a major challenge, according to the newspaper. The urge to use meth can easily overwhelm the desire to quit, making it likely the person will discontinue the medication and continue using meth.

The new antibody therapy is designed to prolong the effect of anti-addiction medication. The therapy would deliver genes into a person’s cells through a dismembered virus. The genes would instruct the cells to make a non-stop supply of anti-meth antibodies, the article notes.

If a person took meth weeks or even months after receiving the medication, the antibodies would bind to the meth and prevent it from reaching the brain, researchers explained at the recent annual meeting of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists. As a result, the person wouldn’t get high.

The researchers from the University of Arkansas described their experiment with the new therapy in meth-addicted mice. They studied two groups of mice: one group was vaccinated with the medication, and the second group received a saline shot. Both groups of mice were given meth 50 days later. Half an hour and one hour after receiving the meth, the mice who received the antibody treatment had much more meth in their blood than the mice that received a saline shot. This suggests the meth was bound to the antibodies and did not cross the barrier into the brain, the researchers said.

Binge Drinking in Teen Years Could Lead to Lasting Changes in Brain: Rat Study

/BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

November 5th, 2014/

A new study in rats suggests heavy drinking during the teen years could lead to structural changes in the brain that last into adulthood. The changes occur in the region of the brain important in reasoning and decision-making.

The researchers found the rats given daily access to alcohol during adolescence had less myelin, the fatty coating on nerve fibers that speeds transmission of electrical signals between nerve cells. The animals that drank the most performed worse on a memory test later in adulthood, the study found. The findings suggest binge drinking during adolescence could continue to affect the brain even long after the drinking stops. Further study is needed to determine if the findings also apply to humans, the researchers noted.

The findings are published in The Journal of Neuroscience.

According to study co-author Heather Richardson of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, previous studies have shown heavy alcohol use among teenagers is linked to changes in myelin and cognitive impairment later in life. Until now, it has been unclear whether these changes are directly caused by alcohol, Medical News Today reports.

The researchers studied two groups of male adolescent rats. One group had access to sweetened alcohol each day for two weeks. The other group had access to sweetened water. At the end of the study, the researchers analyzed the rats’ myelin levels in the brain. The rats that drank alcohol had reduced myelin in the prefrontal cortex, compared with those that drank sweetened water.

Months later, when the rats reached adulthood, their levels of myelin were reassessed. The researchers found the rats that consumed the alcohol continued to show reduced myelin levels. Richardson noted in a news release, “These findings suggest that alcohol may negatively affect brain development in humans and have long-term consequences on areas of the brain that are important for controlling impulses and making decisions.”

Insomnia May Lead to Increased Relapse Risk in Early Phases of Addiction Recovery

/BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

November 6th, 2014/

Insomnia may lead to an increase in the risk of relapse for people in the early phases of recovery from addiction, suggests a new report. The researchers say the incidence of insomnia in early recovery may be five times higher than in the general population.

The problem may persist for months or even years, MedicalXpress reports. The findings appear in the Journal of Addiction Medicine.

“Treating sleep disturbance in early recovery may have considerable impact on maintenance of sobriety and quality of life,” study co-author Dr. Nicholas Rosenlicht of the University of San Francisco said in a news release.

The researchers found insomnia may be linked with a higher risk of alcohol-related problems and relapse. In addition, previous research suggests people with sleep problems are more likely to be at risk of developing addiction, the article notes. Some people with alcohol use disorders drink in the evening to help them sleep, even though alcohol causes sleep disruption.

It is unclear whether treating insomnia can reduce a person’s risk of relapse, they note. Some studies have found using insomnia medications during recovery can reduce the rate of relapse. The researchers caution doctors about prescribing insomnia medications to recovering patients, because they may be at increased risk of misuse, abuse or addiction to sleep medications. They may also be at risk of “rebound insomnia” after they stop taking the medication.

Instead of prescribing insomnia medications, doctors can have patients keep a daily sleep diary; ask them to fill out a questionnaire about their insomnia and progress during treatment; and educate patients on the best ways to promote good sleep and the effects of substances on sleep.

Behavioral approaches to sleep problems include limiting a person’s time in bed to only that time when they are sleeping, and identifying and correcting inappropriate thoughts and beliefs that may contribute to insomnia.

Get Ready For the Holidays... Tonight November 6th at 7:00pm EST the Addict's Mom Live Video Online Meeting on In the Rooms www.intherooms.comwill have a special guest Al J. Mooney MD author of The Recovery Book: Answers to all your questions about addiction and alcoholism and finding health and happiness in sobriety www.therecoverybook.com Dr. Mooney will be talking with addict's moms about not only surviving but enjoying the holiday season.... Topics to be Covered: How to keep peace in the family during the holidays. How to have a joyful holiday even if your addicted child is absent. How your newly sober loved one can celebrate the holidays while staying sober. What you can do to help your love ones that are new to sobriety. Please sign in with Google Chrome or Firefox and check your settings. Remember you can remain anonymous or not! Much love to all addict's moms and their families...Barbara Get Ready For the Holidays... Tonight November 6th at 7:00pm EST the Addict's Mom Live Video Online Meeting on In the Rooms www.intherooms.comwill have a special guest Al J. Mooney MD author of The Recovery Book: Answers to all your questions about addiction and alcoholism and finding health and happiness in sobriety www.therecoverybook.com Dr. Mooney will be talking with addict's moms about not only surviving but enjoying the holiday season.... Topics to be Covered: How to keep peace in the family during the holidays. How to have a joyful holiday even if your addicted child is absent. How your newly sober loved one can celebrate the holidays while staying sober. What you can do to help your love ones that are new to sobriety. Please sign in with Google Chrome or Firefox and check your settings. Remember you can remain anonymous or not! Much love to all addict's moms and their families...Barbara Visit The Addict's Mom at: http://addictsmom.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

Be our guest! The Addict's Mom is looking for addiction professionals to be our guest on our Live Video Online Meetings hosted by In the Rooms every Thursday Night 7:00pm to 8:00pm EST. If you are addictions professional and would like to be our guest please email me atBarbara@theaddictsmom.com put Guest in the subject line. Be sure to include your contact information including your phone number.

A special thank you to In the Rooms for hosting the Addict's Mom meetings. They are an a.mazing community dedicated to helping those whose lives have been touched by addictionwww.intherooms.com. If you are not a member I encourage you to join they have so many wonderful resources.

Making Naloxone More Widely Available Could Prevent 20,000 U.S. Deaths: WHO

/BY JOIN TOGETHER STAFF

November 4th, 2014/

Increasing the availability of the opioid-overdose antidote naloxone could prevent more than 20,000 deaths in the United States annually, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

About 69,000 people die worldwide from overdoses of heroin or other opioids each year, WHO estimates.

In most overdose cases, people using opioids misjudge the dose they are taking or their tolerance for the drug, WHO expert Nicolas Clark told Reuters. A family member is often there to witness the overdose, and that person could administer naloxone, he noted. “If opioids are easily available in people’s bathroom cabinets, it might make sense for naloxone to be equally available,” Clark said.

Naloxone, which previously was available only as an injectable drug, can now be administered as a nasal spray. It works quickly, without side effects. “We’re happy to recommend the intranasal approach as an effective approach,” Clark said. “Naloxone is cheap but it’s limited really to emergency departments and some ambulance departments.”

A growing number of states have passed laws increasing access to naloxone. As of September 2014, there were 24 states with such laws. Most of the laws allow doctors to prescribe naloxone to friends and family members of a person who abuses opioids. The laws also remove legal liability for prescribers and for those who administer naloxone.

In addition, 17 states and the District of Columbia have passed “Good Samaritan” laws, which provide limited legal immunity for people who call for help for a person who is overdosing. These laws were passed in response to concerns that people who are present during an overdose may hesitate to call 911 because they fear legal consequences.