FDA Stresses Importance Of Cocaine And Meth Addiction Treatment Advancements

In a bold move, the Food and Drug Administration has urged private contractors to find and develop a sure-shot treatment for drug addicts, namely Cocaine and Meth. This decision comes after the country saw a rise in the number of people who need treatment against de addiction.

Currently, there is no one course of treatment to be taken and most people depend on complete stoppage which isn’t very pleasant.

According to the data cited on Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services, the number of meth users has gone up from 0.2% in 2016 to 0.8 in 2019. Cocaine tells a similar story as well. A study by Yulin Hswen suggests, “Data on cocaine overdose mortality, obtained from the Centers for Disease Control, also exhibited a recent surge. Deaths increased every year starting in 2012 with a total growth of 200% from 2012 to 2017.”

In 2021 alone there were over 32,537 deaths categorized in the country as a result of drug abuse. But why the sudden surge?

One interesting theory published in  Estimating the Incidence of cocaine use and Mortality with Music Lyrics about cocaine, “Cocaine mentions in lyrics was stable from 2000 to 2010, then increased by 190% from 2010 to 2017. Data on cocaine overdose mortality, obtained from the Centers for Disease Control, also exhibited a recent surge.

Deaths increased every year starting in 2012 with a total growth of 200% from 2012 to 2017.” Elaborating more on the topic, the researchers think that it has been categorized as a cool factor that might have caused this surge. Another reason could be the easy accessibility of the drugs. The urban population finds it easier to get some with or without a prescription, which then causes a ripple effect trickling down to the rural dwellers as well.

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Additionally, the ignorance of pain thresholds as well as mental problems force people to depend on illegal and dangerous drugs that have quadrupled the number of drug users. Lastly, the urge to stay alert and sometimes “take a break” instead of vacation contributes too. All of these could be the reason why the FDA decided to draft the latest recommendation.

The recommendation cites multiple reasons why the development is more crucial than ever. Firstly, it states, that unlike old times, there is a way to make human trials more centered and precise. Not only does the need provide a way for it but also because the cases are burgeoning every day.

Secondly, the current course of action is not sufficient in multiple ways. Most of the time, it isn’t tailored to the individual’s needs and the person has to quit it the hard way. Thirdly, a drug addict could be suffering from multiple symptoms. This could include shivering, chills, derangement, and many more.

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Not only is it difficult to quit it alone but painful in some cases. The depression and the inability to use drugs to cope with the post-withdrawal symptoms, escalate the conditions and could be unbearable.

When asked about the move, an official said, “When finalized, we hope that the guidance will support the development of novel therapies that are critically needed to address treatment gaps.” It also aims to reduce the cases of the cold turkey method and switch it to something workable so that more people would want to try and quit it.

Also, it wants the stakeholders to measure the difference in the body before and after drug breathing patterns. It also assures fast-track the process should the companies come up with a solution that is better than ever. This really seems like a morale boost coming from the FDA itself.

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