During Withdrawal
Back to the document's frontpageThe symptoms of withdrawal can induce severe and long lasting depression.
Overcoming barriers to recovery with anti-depressants
Dysphoria and depression are significant features of the long term withdrawal and recovery from stimulant drugs such as crystal meth or cocaine, and to a lesser extent heroin and other opiates. This lasting dysphoria, although ultimately transient, presents a barrier to recovery; and unable to take any pleasure in sober life, withdrawal sufferers are increasingly drawn back to abuse, and through abuse an alleviation of the dysphoric and depressive symptoms of the withdrawal.
The use of anti depressant medications during drug treatment withdrawal, which may last for months or even years depending on the drug of abuse, can alleviate some of these experienced psychiatric deficits, and allow recovering addicts to participate better in the therapeutic process of recovery, and reduce some degree of the cravings and compulsions back to abuse.
