Addicted To Prescription Drugs? There's A Prescription Drug For That!

February 05,2013

A company based in San Diego has acquired the rights to a new drug, which is available today in Japan, and currently being tested for safety and effectiveness in the U.S.

Addicted To Prescription Drugs? There's A Prescription Drug For That!

A company based in San Diego has acquired the rights to a new drug, which is available today in Japan, and currently being tested for safety and effectiveness in the U.S. It is called Ibudilast, and if the FDA approves it, it could be on the shelves on hundreds or thousands of drug stores within the next five years. It is very specific in its goals: it targets opioid cravings of prescription pills, and if it works, could help bring an end to addictions of drugs such as Oxycontin.

Many in the œindustry use the term œreplacement drug therapy. It simply: to try to abate the abuse of one substance by replacing it with a less dangerous and, hopefully, less addicting drug. This is especially done during the withdrawal stage of recovery. Common examples would include the nicotine patch, Methadone, Suboxone, Campral, and Subutext. The problem with replacement or alternative drugs is that an addict can be as addicted to them as easily as the drugs they replaced initially.

We must always question whether the cure is better or worse than the disease. Surely, nobody in their right mind would say drug addiction is good, or that we shouldn't seek a cure for it. However, when the œcure is another pill, to which, in time, an addict will form another addiction, then what has been gained? The only answer, of course, is that if weaning off the replacement drug is less painful and safer than weaning off the original drug, perhaps there is merit. Otherwise, we are replacing cigarettes with cigars, vodka with beer, and eating pizza instead of eating garlic bread; each may represent an addiction, and replacing one addiction with another is generally not considered a win, much less a cure.

When an opioid addiction is formed, it targets specific receptors in the brain. Because the opioid is illegal and indefinite, you never know what you are really getting in any particular dose, and as a result, overdoses are relatively common. Some overdoses mandate intensive hospital care; others require a long sleep, and then you're œback to normal. With replacement drug therapy, you do know what you're getting. What is not known is how long it will be before the replacement drug becomes œthe drug and hits the black market, followed by imitations¦

This is something that is never considered when a pharmaceutical company prepares a drug for profit. And make no bones about it, there is profit to be had.

Many pharmaceutical companies make their fortune on the one drug that hits the market œjust right. There are billions of dollars at risk, and the drug company lobby is powerful and well-funded. And why shouldn't it be? Look at the possible gain if they win. Who among us would do differently?

So what's the answer? Alternative drug therapy, with a chance for getting clean, or additional prescription drugs that are abused? It's a tough choice, because I'd rather find a response without the use of drugs. But if one drug is used responsibly to stop the abuse of another, then maybe it's not such a bad idea. The only thing we can be sure of is that drug abuse kills, and we need to be responsible in our efforts to eliminate addiction.

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