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«  Meth Abuse in Pregnant Women


Methamphetamine abuse or dependence is not a homogeneous disease. There are many sub-populations who require specialized outpatient drug rehab los angeles, such as the pregnant woman. Last year I had the unfortunate duty, for the first time, of telling three drug dependent women that they were pregnant. Imagine the range of emotions that went through their facial expressions after hearing this and then trying to decide how to deal with this tragic situation. The faces of all three pregnant women are forever etched in my mind. Protecting lifethat is what drives researchers to pursue medications.

We have also learned there are very different types of users. Some of you may have heard the term “chippers.” These are individuals who will use drugs episodically but have not become fully dependent and are not using drugs on a chronic basis. These people may do well with outpatient addiction treatment malibu, but for the abuser whose brain is changed, we may need a completely different therapeutic approach. We have got to find ways to accelerate the process of brain recovery for the heavy abuser.

Soon I will meet with the director of medications development division at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. We will discuss a collaborative arrangement to study a new, nontoxic drug that, in a pilot study, actually improves brain function and fixes brain membranes. This is the kind of medication we could give to pregnant women and to their children who are dependent.

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