There are many new medications that have been engineered specifically for the treatment of opioid dependence. Those dependent on opioids tend to experience debilitating physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms upon discontinuation. To help individuals discontinue illicit opioids like heroin, an “opioid replacement therapy” drug is often prescribed. Two of the most common opioid replacement therapy …
Methadone was originally developed in Germany during the 1930s as a synthetic alternative to opium. Post World War II, the United States obtained all research records for the substance and noted that it was less sedating and less of a respiratory depressant than morphine. In 1947, Methadone was approved by the FDA for the treatment …
Adderall is a well-known medication used to treat ADHD that has been on the market since 1996. Years after its initial approval, Shire Pharmaceuticals developed an “extended-release” format of the drug called “Adderall XR.” This format of the drug was launched in 2001 as a means to provide extended relief from attentional-deficits spanning up to …
Dexedrine is a psychostimulant drug primarily used to treat severe cases of ADHD and narcolepsy. The active ingredient in Dexedrine is “dextroamphetamine” which is regarded as the “right-handed” stereoisomer of the molecule amphetamine. Dextroamphetamine is considered a popular military stimulant, and has been utilized throughout history such as in World War II to offset fatigue …
Methylphenidate is considered the first medication approved for the treatment of the condition known as “hyperactivity” in the 1960s. As attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder gained more mainstream attention in the 1990s, the number of diagnoses continued to skyrocket, increasing the demand for new treatments. By the year 1996, mixed amphetamine salts (i.e. Adderall) were approved for the …
Provigil (modafinil) is a drug that was approved in 1998 for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness associated with narcolepsy. It has since been granted FDA approval for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea as well as shift work sleep disorder. Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts) is a psychostimulant drug that was initially approved in 1996 …
Nuvigil and Provigil are both drugs that were approved by the FDA for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness. Both drugs act as eugeroics and are considered “wakefulness-promoting agents” in that they are distinct from more potent, habit-forming psychostimulants (e.g. Adderall). Provigil was initially approved in the late 1990s to help treat narcolepsy. Although the drug …