A recent drug treatment study released by Chang-Guo Zhan of the University of Kentucky suggests that natural enzymes may be a successful treatment for an overdose of cocaine. The few treatment methods currently available for overdoses do very little and may even result in death. If this enzyme treatment works as Zhan believes, it could save thousands of lives every year.
How The Body Naturally Treats Cocaine Overdose
This drug poses a significant threat to the user because even the smallest amounts can cause severe damage and even death. When someone takes a hit, it raises his or her blood pressure, restricts the amount of oxygen to the heart, and possibly complicate breathing. If your body is sensitive to these reactions or take too much, you overdose leading to seizures, breathing problems, and heart failure. This can occur regardless of how much or how often you take the drug.
Under normal conditions, these substances add water to the drug causing a series of chemical reactions. When the process is complete, only two completely innocent ingredients are left behind. The biggest downside is that it takes a minimum of 90 minutes for trace amount of the drug to be broke down.
With an overdose, the required time for the process can increase to 12 hours or more leading to a high rate of death and permanent injury. The enzyme method that Zahn is introducing into society merely speeds up a natural process.
New Cocaine Treatment Research
To determine how to modify the natural substance, the cocaine treatment experts identified the precise reaction that required the most energy and gave the cells a boost. In the end, they only modified 5 of the 574 amino acids found in the enzyme to create a new molecule. The new drug treatment works quickly enough to prevent any permanent damage to the body or its nervous system. In fact, they react and break down the drug 2000 times faster than normal.
To test this, researchers gave 18 mice a lethal dose of the drug and injected 12 of them with the new cocaine treatment. They found that all six of the subjects who did not receive the new drug treatment and two of those who did all died. The other 10 mice survived. If this treatment does become available to emergency rooms across the country, it will become the world's first overdose preventative.
Possible Risks Of This New Drug Treatment
The experts believe that because the modified version is so close to the original, there is a very low risk of severe side effect. However, this cocaine treatment does present a few concerns. It is believed this drug treatment would have to be administered within a short time of the overdose in order to be effective. Some experts also worry that these new super enzymes may breakdown other substances in the body that are needed for normal life processes.
What Does This Mean?
This new concept is only in the testing phase, but should things go well, this could offer a significant amount of help for addicts. The modified enzymes could play an important role in the rehabilitation of cocaine users. While it won't stop them from using, it is possible that it could help to speed up and lessen the effects of the dry-out phase. Researchers are hopeful that it will help save the lives of those who overdose.
Until this new cocaine treatment has been thoroughly tested and approved, there isn't much available in terms of help. It doesn't guarantee that the patient will survive either. When an overdose occurs today, lowering the victim's body temperature and heart rate is the only real drug treatment medical staff have forcing them to wait it out and hope. In the end, something will certainly be better than nothing.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment