Addiction To Drugs And Medications: Risks And Solutions
In the vast majority of cases, drugs are understood as part of the resources available in the world of medicine to cure or treat diseases of all types; and to a large extent, this is true.
However, to consider that a drug only exists in the form of an aid that the doctor makes available to the patient is to see only part of the story. After all, medications do not appear spontaneously out of nowhere; They arise from substances that already exist in the reality around us, and follow the laws of physics. That is why most medications have side effects, in addition to therapeutic effects; and among these unexpected consequences, it should be taken into account that some drugs can be addictive Let’s see why this happens and what can be done about it in the field of psychiatry.
First of all, let’s address the somewhat counterintuitive idea that a medication can generate a pathology as severe as an addiction: what are the causes of this? The first thing you have to know to understand it is that the only way for a medication to generate an addictive disorder is by entering the neurons of the brain and interacting with its nerve cells in a certain way. This means that Only a small portion of drugs are associated with this risk, and furthermore, not all psychotropic drugs give rise to this problem
Medications that have effects on the brain (and, therefore, also on the mind to a greater or lesser extent) are psychotropic drugs. These contain active ingredients in the form of molecules capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier (a protective layer that keeps the brain relatively protected from substances that are mixed with blood in the circulatory system) and that are captured by neurons.
The latter work by constantly emitting and capturing molecules generated by the body itself, the so-called neurotransmitters; It is their way of communicating with each other. And when they receive a substance from a psychotropic drug, they can treat it as if it were a neurotransmitter. After all, The important thing about a molecule is not its origin, but the chemical reactions it can trigger
This is precisely the way medications such as antidepressants or antipsychotics work: they try to “compensate” the functioning of a brain that in some aspects is chemically decompensated. However, since the active ingredients are still elements that lack intelligence with which to know where they should act and where they should not, side effects are a possibility for which we must prepare.
And in this sense, one of the unwanted consequences that can appear is addiction. This occurs when the psychotropic drug, associated with a certain mode of consumption, enters a dynamic of overstimulating the brain’s reward system that part of our nervous system that leads us to want to repeat certain actions over and over again because of how they make us feel.
In short, in several senses, there is a clear dividing line that separates psychotropic drugs, on the one hand, and substances considered drugs, on the other; The fundamental logic in which both substances interact with neurons is the same, although in the case of the former, they have shown that under medical supervision they are useful in the treatment of some psychological and psychiatric disorders.
Technically, The concepts of dependence and addiction do not refer to the same phenomenon We only talk about an addiction when the brain functions in an abnormal way that predisposes the person to feel the need to perform an action to relieve the withdrawal syndrome. However, dependence on a medication can occur when using substances that do not significantly alter the functioning of the brain, but do alter other cellular tissues in the body and make it necessary to continue consuming for the body to function normally.
What solutions are there to the risk of addiction to a medication?
There is no completely foolproof way to avoid the onset of addiction to a psychotropic drug; however, yes There are protocols and strategies to minimize risk Everything involves following in a very disciplined manner the instructions of the doctors who have prescribed a psychotropic drug (let us not forget that a substance can only be considered a psychotropic drug in the context of a therapy and medical indications in the form of consumption instructions).
Thus, several of the most relevant aspects to avoid addiction to a drug are the following:
Do you need therapeutic support to overcome an addiction?
If you need professional help to overcome an addiction, contact us.
In Llaurant la Llum We specialize in caring for people who have developed addictive disorders, both in cases of drug addiction and behavioral addictions; We offer counseling services, outpatient care, and inpatient treatment at our facilities. You will find us in Picassent, Valencia.
