In drug and alcohol treatment, the drug Lamictal is sometimes prescribed to clients to help them with their mood disorders. Lamotrigine, or Lamictal, is an anticonvulsant drug used in the treatment of epilepsy, bipolar disorder, and some forms of severe depression.  It is thought to work on the Na+ channels in the brain the same way that Tegretol does.  The half life of Lamictal is 24 to 34 hours.  It is chemically unrelated to other anticonvulsants because it has fewer side effects and does not require blood monitoring like other anticonvulsant drugs do, like Lithium and Tegretol.  Lamictal has been helpful in controlling rapid cycling and mixed bipolar states in people who have not been helped by other drugs such as lithium, carbamazepine, or valproic acid.  It can also be helpful in treating people with major depression and more recently it has been used to treat people with PTSD.

Some cautions for people taking Lamictal are that Valproic Acid can prolong the half-life of Lamictal and Tregretol can prolong the half life of Lamictal.  Some hormonal contraception can also reduce the half life of Lamictal.

There is also a strange side effect called Stevens-Johnson Syndrome which is more common in children which appears as a rash and seems to be associated with people who had recently been prescribed Valproic Acid.  So it is not often prescribed to children.

Many clients are prescribed Lamictal in drug and alcohol treatment as part of their psychological care.  It is non-addictive so there are no problems with Lamictal triggering using behavior in drug rehab, which can often be the case with other more addictive psychoactive medications.

Labels: Bi-Polar Disorder and Addiction Treatment, Bi-Polar Disorder Treatment, Depression and Drug Addiction, Lamictal and Drug Rehab, Lamotrigine and Drug Treatment, Medication in Drug Rehab

It is thought that depression is a result of decreased activity in the pre-frontal cortex and increased activity in the subgenual prefrontal cortex (Brain Area 25). In addiction treatment and drug rehab, depression is a major problem. Drug addiction and alcoholism can cause depression and/or exacerbate a previous depressive disorder. It is now known that anti-depressants promote neurogenesis and increases the activity in the hippocampus and one theory of depression says that it is caused by decreased activity of the hippocampus linked to prolonged exposure to cortisol. The cortisol theory of depression simply states that stress causes depression. That's not hard to comprehend.

Medication response differs between chronic atypical depression and acute melancholic depression. Modern SSRI's, the one's we've all heard about over the years (e.g., prozac) are usually quite effective at treating depression.

It is important to emphasize that medication alone does not solve the depression problem in drug rehab. Antidepressants must be combined with therapy and counseling. Antidepressants work best when combined with therapy and counseling. Despite what people think, antidepressants do not make a person happy. They are not "happy pills." They simply keep a person from sinking into the quicksand of depression. Depression is like being stuck in quicksand. The more you struggle, the deeper you get. It's like slipping into a black hole. Normal people who do not suffer from depression are able to climb out of the quicksand if they put some effort into it. For example, they are able to lift themselves out of the depression by doing something that will lift their spirits, or realizing that things aren't so bad after all. But, people with depression are not able to do this. They continue to sink and even though they try and get out of it, they can't. Antidepressants are like a branch that people with depression can grab onto and pull themselves out of when they feel themselves sinking deeper and deeper. It still takes effort, but gives the situation some hope...

Labels: Addiction Treatment and Depression, Biological Aspects of Addiction, Biological Aspects of Alcoholism, Depression, Depression and Drug Addiction