Withdrawal Question

[2sweet4this]

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Hey guys,

Okay I know this is going to sound silly. I am getting ready for Step 1. Right now, I'm studying Pharm and to make a long story short...The other day I read about some drug that is also used (one of it's minor uses) during nicotine and opioid withdrawal. Anyways, I happened to think about it today and couldn't for the life of me figure out which drug. I flipped through the pharm book and got NOTHING!! Of course, it's really really bothering me now. So I was wondering if any of you out there would possibly know what drug I read about. One of it's uses was in nicotine and opioid (i think) withdrawal and this was not it's main action. I really appreciate any help coz it's driving me crazy.
Thank you.

 

[Hercules]

You're not looking for Buproprion, are you? It has nothing to do with opiates, but it is an antidepressant that's used for people who are quitting smoking.

 

[1Neuro1]

A good way to remember that Buproprion, a heterocyclic antidepressant, works on the dopaminergic system is that it is used to control nicotine craving, which is also a component of the DA system. Nicotine itself is a DA agonist in the reward circuits of the brain.

Bupropion is also associated with weight loss which may be accounted for by its blunting of the need to satisfy cravings for food, yet another part of the dopaminergic reward system.

Just thaught that would be helpful.

Good luck.

 

[kcrd]

I have a vague recollection of learning a drug used to lessen the sx of opiate withdrawl as well. An anticholinergic, maybe?

 

[1Neuro1]

For acute withdrawal you can use clonidine (alpha 2 agonist) to lower BP etc... .

For abstinence they use methadone.

I can't recall any aticholinergics for opiate w/drawal, but they are used in Parkinson's or neuroleptic malignant syndrome to raise DA levels, so its possible there is one for opiate w/drawal.

 

[Jaded Soul]

I remember a drug called buprenorphine. It's a partial agonist at opioid receptors that can be used to manage withdrawal (as opposed to purposely precipitating withdrawal with naloxone or naltrexone). I don't remember if it's useful in nicotine withdrawal, though.

 

[GrandMasterB]

there are two "agonist-antagonists" in the opioid class. propoxyphene is a kappa>mu agonist. while buprenorpihine is a partial mu agonist- thus acting antagonistically in the presence of a regular opioid.