RECOVER

Find out how IV NAD for Addiction works and why you should consider it as part of your drug addiction recovery plan.

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Overview

• Drug addiction is a chronic disease in which an individual cannot control when or how often they seek out and use substances such as opiates, alcohol, and nicotine.

• Drug addiction rehabilitation is not a single treatment, but consists of a combination of therapies that address not only the addiction itself, but the behaviors and triggers that lead to relapse.

• Relapse is one of the most challenging aspects of reaching a successful rehabilitation outcome.

• Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) IV treatments can help you beat addiction and avoid relapse. NAD helps relieve the symptoms of withdrawal, reduces cravings, detoxifies your body, and repairs cellular damage from long-term drug use.

• At-home IV NAD for addiction treatments are not a ‘magic bullet’, but work instead as a convenient and valuable cotherapy when used alongside traditional drug rehab treatments.

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Understanding Drug Addiction

Drug addiction is not a new problem. But overdose deaths from opioids—including prescription opioids, heroin, and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl—have increased almost six times since 1999. The latest numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that today, two out of three (66%) drug overdose deaths involve an opioid, which are substances that work in the nervous system of the body or the brain to reduce the intensity of pain. More than 47,000 people died in 2017 from overdoses involving opioids. More than one third of those deaths (36%) involved prescription opioids.[1] As a result of these alarming trends, there is a heightened interest on how effective and speedy drug addiction recovery can be achieved.

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Before tackling drug addiction recovery, in yourself or in someone whom you care for, it is important to understand addiction and what it entails. Here’s how the National Institute on Drug Abuse defines addiction: Drug addiction is a chronic disease characterized by compulsive, or uncontrollable, drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences and changes in the brain, which can be long lasting. These changes in the brain can lead to the harmful behaviors seen in people who use drugs. Drug addiction is also a relapsing disease. Relapse is the return to drug use after an attempt to stop. Substance addiction—whether it is to prescription drugs, illegal drugs, alcohol or tobacco—is complex because it affects both our brain function and behavior. Addiction is a chronic, but treatable disease and needs to be acknowledged as such. This is a critical first step in the addiction recovery process. It is important to remember that addiction recovery has no single ‘right’ treatment method. An effective treatment method needs to address all of an addicted person’s needs, going beyond the drug abuse.[2] This is why it is such a challenge to many.

 

Treatments for Drug Addiction

These options, most often in combination with others, have been successful for treating drug addiction:[3]

• Behavioral counseling

• Medications – for withdrawal, relapse prevention and for co-occurring conditions such as anxiety and depression.

• Medical devices and applications for treating withdrawal symptoms or to deliver skills training

• Evaluation and treatment for co-occurring mental health issues including anxiety and depression

• Long-term follow-up to ensure there is no relapse

Successful drug addiction treatment requires a range of care comprising a tailored treatment program and follow-up options. Addiction treatment should include both medical and mental health services where necessary as well as follow-up. See diagram for the components of a comprehensive drug addiction treatment.

If you are intent on quitting, going cold turkey on your addiction is easier today than ever thanks to NAD+ IV therapy. For best effect though, it is necessary to combine this therapy with other options available for drug addiction treatment. It is also important to understand why the majority of people relapse when seeking treatment for drug addiction.

 

Understanding Drug Addiction Relapse

Drug addiction is characterized by intense drug cravings and an inability to control drug use even though people know about its many negative consequences. Relapse during drug addiction treatment is common. Studies show that more than 85 per cent of people in addiction treatment relapse and return to drug use within the year following treatment. Yes, that is more than 8 out of 10.

 

According to researchers’ estimates more than two thirds of people in recovery relapse within weeks to months of beginning their addiction treatment.[4] Recent research on drug relapse prevention also suggests that, we should view relapses during recovery as a result of an underlying process, rather than as random events. Relapse should be considered as a part of overall recovery process. The National Institute on Drug Abuse defines relapse as “a series of setbacks along the way to recovery”. As such, we should look upon relapses as part of the recovery process, instead of as failures to recover. [5]

 

This is why a long-term drug relapse prevention plan is essential to cure your addiction and to stay clean. The reality is that most people will be unsuccessful in their first attempts to stay drug free. This is where a solid long-term plan is critical for long term success.
Drug relapse prevention can teach you effective techniques for preventing relapse and how you can manage reoccurrence. This is where understanding drug relapse warning signs matter.

 

Spot Drug Relapse Warning Signs

Drug relapse warning signs can be divided into three groups: emotional, mental, and physical signs.

During the emotional stage of your relapse, you may not be consciously thinking about drug use again, but you sure are setting yourself up for it emotionally.

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You may observe these emotional aspects in yourself: You isolate yourself and may stop going to treatment sessions or meetings. When you show up at meetings you may not share your feelings and bottle up your emotions. Your eating and sleeping habits will begin to turn again for the worse. You’ll stop taking care of yourself mentally or physically. But you’ll also be in denial that you may be going into relapse. You will also see yourself relaxing self-imposed rules you have been sticking to since giving up drugs.

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Once you enter the mental relapse stage, you actually begin thinking about drugs again. Drug cravings will return and you will begin romanticizing your past drug use. You begin thinking of people and places you’ve associated when you were previously using drugs. You can catch yourself minimizing the consequences of drugs, bargain with yourself about it and begin lying to others. Eventually this phase comes down to thinking about how you can better control your drug use next time, planning your relapse or seeking for opportunities to do drugs. You will experience the inner conflict within you, of wanting to use drugs and wanting to stay clean. After a while, this inner struggle wears you down and you enter the physical relapse stage.

 

In the physical relapse stage, you go back to using drugs. You may justify this by saying it is for just once, and then end up with uncontrolled drug use. As you may know already, this is the hardest stage to come back from.

 

What is NAD+?

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, known as NAD+ for short, is a critical coenzyme that powers metabolic processes in living cells. It helps in a variety of biological processes including digestion, cognition and mental clarity, aging, and boosting overall energy levels.

NAD+ increases your body’s levels of serotonin–a neurotransmitter associated with mood regulation–and helps improve symptoms of depression and anxiety.

NAD+ is helpful for individuals undergoing substance abuse therapy and addiction recovery. While NAD+ is also available as an oral supplement, it is far more effective when absorbed directly into the bloodstream by way of IV therapy. NAD administered intravenously helps significantly reduce drug cravings and help manage withdrawal symptoms.

 

NAD+ and Dealing with Cravings

Cravings are a common factor that disrupts drug addiction recovery programmes. It is difficult to give up drugs, alcohol and other addictive substances because of the cravings you experience when trying to give it up. This is where NAD+ becomes an invaluable tool in your effective drug recovery arsenal.

Research shows that NAD also helps significantly lessen the effects of withdrawal. This is why it has been used in IV form since the 1960s to treat withdrawal from a variety of drugs and alcohol. NAD+ helps reduce the severity of drug cravings significantly and thereby reduce relapse episodes even beyond 12 to 20 months post treatment.[6]

 

NAD Limitations and How to Overcome Them

One limitation of NAD is that NAD+ IV alone cannot make up the entire drug recovery treatment. But there is a lot of research that shows how this limitation can be overcome.

To make drug addiction recovery with NAD+ IV treatment more profound, complete and lasting, it is combined with specified amino acids. [7] There is also evidence that amino acid based IV supplementation helps in the recovery process.[8] [9] A study published in the Biomed Research International journal in 2017 found that red blood cells loaded with alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALD) can metabolize plasma ethanol and acetaldehyde, but does so with low efficiency. An investigation into rate-limiting factors in ethanol oxidation using IV experiments on humans and simulations showed that NAD+ generation rate in red blood cell glycolysis, is the rate-limiting step in external ethanol oxidation. The rate of oxidation could be increased if red blood cells are supplemented by NAD+ and pyruvate using the one-step procedure of hypoosmotic dialysis.

Blood cells loaded with ADH, ALD, NAD+, and pyruvate were able to metabolize ethanol 20-40 times faster than reported in previous studies. Scientists concluded that the “transfusion of the RBCs loaded with the complete metabolic system, including ADH, ALD, pyruvate, and NAD+ in the patients with alcohol intoxication, may be a promising method for rapid detoxification of blood alcohol based on metabolism.”

There’s also evidence that treatments comprising IV infusions of NAD, together with vitamins and oral amino acids among other substances, is an effective detox treatment for alcohol and opiate addicts and results in a significant reduction in craving ratings. The treatment showed that NAD can be used as a potential long-term therapy to help maintain sobriety through minimizing drug cravings and preventing relapse.

 

Why NAD+ IV Treatment Matters

NAD+ IV treatments are effective for use during recovery from alcohol, nicotine and opioids addictions. At the same time, NAD IV transfusions can help improve your brain health, regeneration and neurological function, enhance mental clarity, improve symptoms of depression and boost energy levels while reducing fatigue.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sees NAD IV as a treatment method with future potential and says that it is “inherently safe” at doses of 2g a day or less. It is also preferred because NAD IV offers a way to address benzodiazepine dependence. Overall, FDA considers NAD IV treatments as “Clearly the best current solution to the expanding problems of drug abuse (particularly heroin), prescription drug abuse, and post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS).”

 

How At Home NAD+ IV Therapy Works

Here’s how it works and what you can expect when you receive IV NAD for addiction at home.

1. At the initial consultation, our medical team determines your therapy depending on your drug history and your specific needs according to your drug addiction recovery treatment plan.

2. The medical team then prepares the specifically tailored drug addiction recovery formula for you based on the latest scientific research and to optimize treatment results for you.

3. The exact frequency of treatment—whether its daily or every other day—may vary from person to person and is determined at the initial consultation. Most treatment regimens last 10 days or more.

4. The typical treatment is made up of 500mg of NAD+ together with 1 liter of saline solution.

5. Each IV treatment session at your home delivers a set amount of NAD+ administer over 3 – 4 hours.

 

Why Get Your IV NAD for Addiction Treatment at Home?

There are a number of reasons why people undergoing drug addiction therapy are opting to get their NAD+ IV therapy at home.
Firstly, most people are doing it for the comfort and convenience. As each IV treatment therapy session for NAD+ lasts 3 – 4 hours, why would you want to spend all that time in a clinic somewhere? Wouldn’t you rather be in the comfort of your own home?

Secondly, there will be no forgetting or missing doses. This is especially important if you are experiencing cravings and withdrawal symptoms or just want to stay in bed. It also matters if you are too exhausted or feeling down to get dressed and go for therapy.
We know this can be a challenge. It is a challenge to many people who seek drug addiction recovery treatments with us. That is why the option of at home IV treatments were invented! With at home IV NAD for addiction, you never miss a dose, however bad you feel. It takes the whole effort out of the equation and ensures timely, uninterrupted treatment, according to your recovery plan.

Concierge MD LA offers a full suite of at-home addiction detox and recovery solutions in Los Angeles including counseling, therapy, detox, IV NAD therapy for addiction, and more. With their knowledgable staff and on-call service, they can help guide you through a safe and successful recovery.

Learn More

 

References

[1] https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/index.html
[2] https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/treatment-approaches-drug-addiction
[3] https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/treatment-approaches-drug-addiction
[4] Humiston J (2014). “Treatment of Drug and Alcohol Dependence and Chronic Pain with Intravenous Amino Acids.” Meeting of the Int’l College of Integrative Medicine, Dearborn, Michigan, 25 Sept. 2014.
[5] Broom SL, Owen S, Norris P, Mestayer R, Grace C, Shen G, Hitt W (2008). “Amino acid-based nutritional supplementation facilitates abrupt cessation (“stopping cold turkey”) of substance use by addiction patients: Reduction of withdrawal symptoms with minimal abuse potential.” Presentation, Soc. for Neuroscience annual meeting, 19 Nov. 2008.
[6] http://www.cellularejuvenation.com/research/intravenous-administration-of-nicotinamide-adenine-dinucleotide-significantly-reduces-self-report-craving-ratings-associated-with-opiate-and-alcohol-withdrawal/
[7]https://www.fda.gov/downloads/AdvisoryCommittees/CommitteesMeetingMaterials/Drugs/PharmacyCompoundingAdvisoryCommittee/UCM606790.pdf
[8] Broom SL, Owen S, Norris P, Mestayer R, Grace C, Shen G, Hitt W (2008). “Amino acid-based nutritional supplementation facilitates abrupt cessation (“stopping cold turkey”) of substance use by addiction patients: Reduction of withdrawal symptoms with minimal abuse potential.” Presentation, Soc. for Neuroscience annual meeting, 19 Nov. 2008.
[9] Humiston J (2014). “Treatment of Drug and Alcohol Dependence and Chronic Pain with Intravenous Amino Acids.” Meeting of the Int’l College of Integrative Medicine, Dearborn, Michigan, 25 Sept. 2014.
[10] https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-717/glutathione
[11] https://www.dovepress.com/new-developments-in-managing-opioid-addiction-impact-of-a-subdermal-bu-peer-reviewed-article-DDDT

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