withdrawal

…effects and that causes a withdrawal syndrome when drinking is stopped. This definition is inadequate, however, because alcoholics, unlike other drug addicts, do not always need ever-increasing doses of alcohol. Opium addicts, on the other hand, become so adapted to the drug that they can survive more than a hundred…

In cases of severe alcohol withdrawal, it is common for seizures, mental clouding, disorientation, and hallucinations (both visual and auditory) to occur during the first 48 hours. Depending on the amount and quality of care and treatment as well as on the possible occurrence of additional disease, delirium tremens can…

…an involuntary illness called the withdrawal (or abstinence) syndrome occurs. Drugs known to produce physical dependence are the opiates (i.e., opium and its derivatives) and central-nervous-system depressants such as barbiturates and alcohol. Psychological dependence is indicated when the user relies on a drug to produce a feeling of well-being. This…

…is the “abstinence” or “withdrawal” syndrome. If the addict is abruptly deprived of a drug upon which the body has physical dependence, there will ensue a set of reactions, the intensity of which will depend on the amount and length of time that the drug has been used. If…

…dependence, and there are no withdrawal symptoms when the drug is discontinued. Psychological dependence does occur among certain types of users. Infrequently, a “cannabis psychosis” may occur, but generally this type of psychiatric reaction is associated only with heavy long-term use of hashish. Other effects of chronic hashish use are…

…its ability to prevent opioid withdrawal symptoms and to suppress opioid cravings. Unlike opioid drugs such as heroin, methadone does not cause euphoric effects, nor does the body develop tolerance to methadone; thus, doses of the same (rather than increasing) size can be taken for long periods of time. In…

…and are responsible for producing withdrawal symptoms in patients who have been taking oxycodone for prolonged periods of time. Prolonged use also desensitizes opioid receptors, resulting in tolerance to oxycodone and necessitating increasing doses of the drug to achieve pain relief. Excessive doses, however, can produce respiratory depression, convulsion, and…

…abstinence from smoking will trigger withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms include impaired ability to concentrate, irritability, weight gain, depressed mood, anxiety, difficulty sleeping, and persistent cravings. The symptoms typically peak within a few days and subside within a month. However, the experience varies from person to person, and, for some, powerful…

…to moderate the effects of withdrawal from heroin addiction. Among the opioid antagonist drugs, naloxone and its longer-lasting orally active version, naltrexone, are used primarily to reverse morphine overdoses and to reverse the chemical stupor of a wider variety of causes, including alcohol intoxication and anesthesia. In opioid overdoses, these…