Addiction to Heroin is a serious matter that continues to grow over time, with more people getting hooked to the drug. Many people are falling prey to the menace due to its ready availability and the feeling of ecstasy that the drug imparts in the user. Overcoming addiction to the drug takes a combination of factors strictly targeted at dealing with the often severe effects of withdrawal. Some of the factors include a holistic approach to addiction medicine, evidence-based therapies, and a supportive community. Repeated use of Heroin changes the structure and the appearance of the brain and thus improves its functions. Early intervention is essential to prevent the patient from suffering significant damages in the brain function.
When Heroin addicts use the drug over extended periods, they experience hormonal imbalances which alter the way the brain perceives things and the general understanding of the mental disposition. Seeking early intervention is essential, just like the 28-year old patient who is the subject of this study. With the advent of new technologies and innovations in medicine, the use of Buprenorphine has gained traction and will be fundamental on this treatment plan because it lowers the potential of drug misuse, diminishes the effects of physical dependency for instance withdrawal syndromes due to opioids and cravings and increased safety in case of an overdose.
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Clinical Reference Information
The patients present as a 28-year old Caucasian who has suffered from addiction to Heroin and has been undergoing this challenge for the last two years. At the onset, the patient used a low dose of the drug on the weekend before progressing to more frequent doses to reach the desired effect. This meant taking up to two doses of the drug in day to achieve the same level of highness. The patient does not admit to any forms of tremors, fear, or panic attacks, and there are no pieces of evidence for cases like sweating, weakness, or dizziness. He denies any instances of running nose or nose bleeding. Moreover, he does not admit to any instances of flexion, extension, or rotation of the muscle.
The patient has had to forgo his obligations due to the high expenditure that makes him spend too much money on his wants and desires, leaving out the expense of his other needs. Moreover, he spends a lot of time catering to his wishes and leaves out time for the most essentialities in life. For instance, he has lost time at work, and this has led to losing his job.
His addiction has led to his engagement in illegal behavior, such as stealing his father's money to spend it on the drug. This behavior has cost him his relationship with his father and also meaningful relationships in his life. Although he has suffered significant losses, he continues to use Heroin in large quantities and short intervals. Over the years, he continues to struggle with strong urges and desires for the drug.
Although he knows he has issues and challenges that have accrued from using the drug, he carries on using the substance unabated. Moreover, he has developed tolerance over time and has come to increase the amount of the drug and the frequency with which he needs to use it. His history of drug-related crimes like larceny stands with him.
Treatment Intervention and Evidence
According to Weicker et al. (2019), patients who can use the Buprenorphine method for treating Opioid addiction not have a history of brain disease, for instance, brain tumors, head injuries, or seizures. Based on the medical history of the patient, he does not have an account of any of those. The use of Buprenorphine has been approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration, and the drug is meant to be used in combination with other interventions.
Other precautions to take note of include breathing issues like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma. Such breathing problems complicate issues with the administration of the drug and can lead to severe damages to the vital organs. Moreover, they must be void of any instances of blood pressure because this is not good for the flow of the blood after drug ingestion. At times withdrawal occurs a few hours after the last time of the intake of the drug.
The selection of this method of treatment is based on the presumption that the results of the drug are better than the side effects. Some of the likely side effects include headache, constipation, dizziness, and drowsiness (Chung, Wu, Lu, & Li, 2019). Although the patient will experience these symptoms at the onset of the medication procedure, they should clear up after continued treatment.
The patient demonstrates a high level of commitment to forgo the addiction problem and hence requires the best treatment option that he can get to get the Heroin out of his system. The drug will be beneficial as part of a complete program of treatment, which will include monitoring of behavior and lifestyle changes and monitoring of compliance.
Future Practice
Information acquired for reference for the client with Heron addiction will be essential in future practice because it helps to inform the kind of patient information required and how this impacts on the quality of healthcare. The reference was very elaborate in including patient information regarding the history of abuse of drugs in the family and brought out the fact that the father was a drug addict, and this led to problems with the rest of the family. The treatment of methadone must be performed in a highly structured clinic, and this is the significant benefit of using the buprenorphine method.
Moreover, the patient started doing drugs at the age of 15 and had his first sexual encounter at the age of 16. Some of the factors that lead him to the addiction problem are boredom, and hence, this must be dealt with for him to be free from the issue of addiction. The use of Buprenorphine is the first treatment plan for treating drug dependency that has been approved for use from a physician's office as opposed to a fully functioning clinic, and this means ease of access for patients.
Understanding the mode of functioning of the drugs is essential as it helps to improve future methods of treatment. The drug takes effect on the body after a maximum of 48 hours, and the symptoms of the results remain in the body for up to a week. The administration of Buprenorphine is approved to be done in a variety of settings, including physician's offices, correctional facilities, and health departments.
The use of the drug introduces a partial mu-opioid into the body, which helps to deal with the effects of drug addiction. Even though the drug is beneficial, it leads to some dose-related side effects which may occur in the body of people with a history of certain medical conditions. The drug assists with drugs like methadone, oxycodone, and opium addiction. Clinically the drug works by inducing a ceiling effect to the brain of the user, and this substantially prevents the onset of the side effects on the user.
According to (Alcaraz et al., 2018), such information is vital because it helps to unveil other underlying issues that may not be obvious since drug and substance addiction is almost always likely linked to other conditions like sexual promiscuity, which may lead to disease. The reference has stressed the significance of requesting information about suicide, other forms of addictions, and past instances of counseling. The use of Buprenorphine demonstrates various ways of pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetic properties, which make it a favorite for the treatment of Heroin addiction, and this one of the reasons why it is preferred in this setup.
Considerations for Buprenorphine
There are various factors to consider before administering the Buprenorphine on patients with multiple forms of addiction. The best time to consider starting the treatment with Buprenorphine is when the first signs of addiction begin to show. This medication will be beneficial to use for Heroin addiction and Opioid addiction as well. The best time to start is a while after the last dose of Opioid use. Starting too soon may not be sufficient for the patient and maybe derogatory for healthcare.
The use of Buprenorphine is beneficial because its unique combination of suspensions lowers the affinity towards misuse and increases safety standards in the event of an overdose. Moreover, it helps in diminishing the effects of dependency on opioids and other similar diseases like Heroin. Some of the side effects of using the agent include fever, distress and irritability, cravings, inability to sleep, and muscle aches can crumps. However, the use of this drug can be misused because of the kind of effect it has on the body, especially by people who do not have dependency addiction.
Overall, with the advent of new technologies and innovations in medicine, the use of Buprenorphine has gained traction and will be fundamental on this treatment plan because it lowers the potential of drug misuse, diminishes the effects of physical dependency for instance withdrawal syndromes due to opioids and cravings and increased safety in case of an overdose. Drug and substance abuse is a serious issue that ought to be dealt with to finality.
References
Alcaraza, S., González-Saizbc, F., Trujolsade, J., Vergara-Moragues, E., Siñola, N., & Pérez, J. (2018). Cluster-Analytic profiling of heroin-dependent patients based on level, clinical adequacy, and patient-desired adjustment of buprenorphine dosage during buprenorphine-naloxone maintenance treatment in sixteen Spanish centers. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 187 (1), 278-284.
Chung, K.-S., Wu, H.-C., Lu, C.-Y. H.-S. & Li, D.-J. (2019). Factors impeding switching from methadone to Buprenorphine in heroin users receiving methadone maintenance therapy - A naturalistic cohort study. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 1 (1), 51-56.
Weicker, S., Hayashi, K., Grant, C., Evan, M., Wood, & Kerr, T. (2019). Willingness to Take Buprenorphine/Naloxone Among People Who Use Opioids in Vancouver, Canada. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 1 (1), 107672.
