Posted by trish on July 08, 2003 at 02:19:10:
In Reply to: Re: Dual Diagnosis and Rx Treatment posted by Anonymous on June 12, 2000 at 00:49:11:
> > Many people - professional and lay persons - have expressed near-disdain about treating recovering alcoholics or drug addicts with psychotropic medications.
> > The important thing to remember is that these people in recovery are not being "drugged" - they are receving (for the majority of cases) appropriately prescribed and monitored does of MEDICATION.
> > Some therapists completely oppose the usage of nearly ALL psychiatric medications in patients with prior histories of drug/alcohol dependency. It is my belief that, until medical science can perfect the treatment of certain ailments, carefully administered treatment of dually-diagnosed patients (along with proper monitoring) is more than appropriate - it is probably beneficial to both the symptoms of the substance abuse as well as the symptoms of the co-existing mental health condition. When I state this, I include the cautious use of benzodiazepines in recovering addicts and alchoholics - small doses of benzodiazepines, when prescribed in small quantitities, have proven to be beneficial to recovering substance abusers who are awaiting antidepressant therapy to begin to work. Strong, situational anxiety can be treated successfully in recovering addicts with judicious use of a benzodiazepine as well. Antidepressants, while currently the most popular medications used to treat recovering substance abusers,may have their own dependency liability. However, like the benzodiazepines, psychiatric treatment of patients with histories of subtance abuse must be carefully monitored by the physician. Prescriptions obviously should be limited to the time between visits. But, by no means should a person with dual diagnosis of chemical dependency and a mood or anxiety disorder be denied proper medical treatment. So where then should a pt. go to recieve help for dual disorders.Sacramento,Ca.
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