Drug Therapy

Question 1

three types of drug therapy

Answer 1

• aversives
• agonists
• antagonists

Question 2

aversives

Answer 2

• produce unpleasant consequences to deter addiction
• disulfiram is an aversive, used to treat alcoholism by creating hypersensitivity to alcohol
• it produces the effects of severe hangover if alcohol was consumed

Question 3

agonists

Answer 3

• effectively drug substitutes
• it binds to neuron receptors and activates them, producing similar effects to the addictive drug
• methadone is an agonist, used to treat heroin addiction
• this satisfies the craving of the addict with a state of euphoria with fewer harmful side effects
• agonists are cleaner and safer since they are medically administered
• agonists stabilise an addict and control withdrawal syndrome, which allows for a gradual reduction in dose and symptoms

Question 4

antagonists

Answer 4

• antagonists bind to receptor sites and block them
• this means that drug dependence cannot have its usual effects, such as the feeling of euphoria
• Naltrexone is an opiate antagonist, used to treat physiological aspect of dependence within heroin addiction
• this drug is typically taken alongside counselling to tackle the psychosocial causes of the addiction

Question 5

nicotine addiction drug therapy - NRT

Answer 5

• nicotine replacement therapy
• psychoactive substances within tobacco smoke are delivered through patches, inhalers or gum, but less harmfully
• NRT provides a clean and controlled dose of nicotine, binding to nAChR receptors and stimulating the release of dopamine
• NRT can reduce the amount of nicotine required over time, as well as controlling withdrawal syndrome

Question 6

gambling addiction drug therapy

Answer 6

• there is no officially approved drugs for use in treating gambling addiction
• however, a number have a possibility of working, such as opioid antagonists
• the DSM states that there are a number of similarities between substance and gambling addiction
• it therefore makes sense to treat it with the same drugs
• opioid antagonists reduce the release of dopamine produced when gambling, enhancing the release of GABA
• the cravings associated with gambling are calmed down as a result
• Kim et al. (2001) saw that there was a link to a reduction in gambling while taking opioid antagonists

Question 7

(+) EVAL - research support

Answer 7

• Stead et al. (2012) examined 150 high-quality research studies into the effectiveness of NRT
• they concluded that all forms of the therapy were significantly more effective in helping smokers than using a placebo or no treatment
• Nasal spray was found to be the most effective
• NRT was found to be around 70% more likely to still be not smoking 6 months after quitting
• two added benefits of NRT is that it is safer than cigarette smoke and it does not appear to foster dependence
• this demonstrates the validity of the neuro-chemical explanation of nicotine addiction, as well as providing life-saving treatment

Question 8

(-) EVAL - side effects

Answer 8

• a number of common side effects go alongside NRT e.g. sleep disturbances, gastro-intestinal problems, dizziness and headaches
• drugs for treating gambling addiction can be much worse, particularly since a higher dose of naltrexone is required to have an effect
• due to the strong side effects, people are more likely to stop taking these drugs, discontinuing the treatment, meaning that it is not very effective

Question 9

(-) EVAL - limited treatment

Answer 9

• a strength of drug therapy is it’s convince, since a person only has to take a tablet once a day, in comparison with CBT and other types of therapy
• however, this may not be so convenient for heroin addicts, who are too disorganised and unmotivated to take the daily medication
• this means that drug therapy is not effective for everyone
• they are probably best suited for only a small set of addicts, who are extremely highly motivated and do not lead chaotic lifestyles