Dimapur, August 20 (MExN): For the first time in North East India, and a major part of the South East Asian region, a revolutionary corrective therapy for treating substance-dependents (drug addicts and alcoholics) has been introduced in Dimapur. The therapy, a result of decades of research, modification and application, was devised by renowned Addictionologist, Neuro-Psychiatrist and Founder-Chairman of Inter-National Drug De-addiction and Therapy Center, Dr Sanjay Chugh. The therapy is now referred widely as “Chugh’s Protocol”. The therapy technology would be formally launched at Faith Hospital, Dimapur, on August 27, as part of a de-addiction service center at the said hospital.
The protocol, informed to be about 90% success rate, employs the use of a medical combo implant which, in a minor surgical procedure, is inserted into a certain part of a substance-dependent’s autonomy. These implants are medical formulation which dissolves over time and act as reducing agents for withdrawal symptoms unlike most conventional de-addiction procedures in use today. There are various implants such as Disulfiram Implant and Naltrexone Implant. According to Dr Sanjay Chugh, addressing a press conference at Hotel Saramati, Dimapur today the beauty of the therapy is that the patient ‘sleeps’ throughout the withdrawal which can take only around 3-4 hours. The implants, however, are at high at around 2, 10,000 for a year and about 75,000 for 3 months. Dr Chugh however said that the expenses are high because the technology is relatively new in the NE which means it would go down once demand picks up.
Disulfiram produces sensitivity to alcohol that results in a highly unpleasant reaction when the patient under treatment ingests even small amounts of alcohol. Disulfiram blocks the oxidation of alcohol at the acetaldehyde stage. During alcohol metabolism, after Disulfiram intake, the concentration of acetaldehyde occurring in the blood may be 5 to 10 times higher than that found during metabolism of the same amount of alcohol alone.
Accumulation of acetaldehyde in the blood produces a complex of highly unpleasant symptoms referred to as the Disulfiram-alcohol reaction. This reaction, which is proportional to the dosage of both Disulfiram and alcohol, will persist as long as alcohol is being metabolized. Disulfiram does not appear to influence the rate of alcohol elimination from the body.
Disulfiram plus even small amounts of alcohol produces flushing, throbbing in head and neck, throbbing headache, respiratory difficulty, nausea, copious vomiting, sweating, thirst, chest pain, palpitation, dyspnea, hyperventilation, tachycardia, hypotension, syncope, marked uneasiness, weakness, vertigo, blurred vision, and confusion. In severe reactions, there may be respiratory depression, cardiovascular collapse, arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, acute congestive heart failure, unconsciousness, convulsions, and death. The intensity of the reaction may vary with each individual but is generally proportional to the amount of Disulfiram and alcohol ingested. In the sensitive individual, mild reactions may occur when the blood alcohol concentration is increased to as little as 5 to 10 mg/100 ml. At a concentration of 50 mg/100 ml symptoms are usually fully developed, and when the concentration reaches 125 to 150 mg/100 ml unconsciousness may occur.
The duration of the reaction is variable, from 30 to 60 minutes in mild cases, up to several hours in more severe cases or as long as there is alcohol remaining in the blood. Disulfiram is slowly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and is slowly eliminated from the body. Ingestion of alcohol may produce unpleasant symptoms 1 or even 2 weeks after a patient has taken his last dose of Disulfiram. Prolonged administration of Disulfiram does not produce tolerance. The longer a patient remains on therapy the more sensitive he becomes to alcohol.
Also the other implant, Naltrexone, is a narcotic antagonist. It works by blocking the drug receptors in the brain and therefore blocking the effects of heroin and other drugs. Those who take it know that they cannot achieve a ‘high’ from using heroin and that any money therefore spent on heroin will be wasted. It does not directly stop a person wanting to use heroin, although it may reduce or prevent cravings in some people.
Naltrexone implants appear to give effective blood levels for 8 weeks to one year. The implant is usually inserted under local anesthesia after detoxification is over and 2 – 3 doses of the oral Naltrexone have been given. It is inserted through a 1 cm incision in the lower abdomen or at the back of the upper arm. The implant is inserted 3-4mm under the skin.
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