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The generosity of the staff and peacefulness of the surroundings has given me a serenity and safety I had never experienced before." - Don

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Click here to read "Addressing the Complexities of Chronic Pain," by Dr. James Gagne, an internist at The Canyon. The article was published in Marin Medicine Magazine. (This link is provided solely for educational purposes.)

 

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HIV and AIDS Patients Needing Drug Treatment

Comprehensive Drug and Alcohol Treatment

HIV and AIDS are often used as a reason to avoid drug addiction, utilize safer sex or needle-using practices and get drug treatment. However, very little information exists for HIV and AIDS patients who continue to struggle with drug addiction after contracting the virus or who develop a drug habit long after they test positive for HIV. The fact is that drug treatment is a more immediate need for HIV and AIDS patients than any other group in the population. Health is of optimum importance and learning how to handle the emotions, physical pain and drug cravings that perpetuate drug and alcohol abuse is not something to be put off when you are also juggling all that being HIV positive encompasses.

At The Canyon, we can help you to find balance in what may feel like the overwhelming co-occurring disorder diagnoses of drug addiction, depression and HIV. Balance starts with realizing that there is a treatment solution specifically for you. It continues when you accept the help available to you.

Why HIV and AIDS Patients Need Drug Treatment: Pain and Self-Medicating Behavior

It is common knowledge that as HIV progresses, pain is a part of the experience. But what may not be so commonly understood is that pain can also occur due to the antiretroviral drugs, especially Videx and Zerit, which are taken many times a day to keep the virus in check as well as other medical conditions that occur-related or not-to HIV and AIDS. When the HIV virus attacks nerve endings in the arms and legs, the result is a condition called peripheral neuropathy or distal symmetrical polyneuropathy, or DPSN, which is characterized by a number of painful sensations that include burning, numbness and tingling in the fingers and toes that is so overwhelming that many don't even want to walk or carry out basic tasks.

Unfortunately, this pain is undertreated by most doctors due to the fact that so many people contract the virus through drug use. Doctors are leery of prescribing painkillers for fear that they are perpetuating an already-existing opiate addiction. The result is that patients end up turning to alcohol and illegal drugs to treat their own pain, perpetuating any pre-existing addiction issues or starting them where they may have only been intermittent or even nonexistent in the past. Without the benefit of a doctor's supervision, the unchecked intake of drugs can wreak havoc on a system that isn't already HIV positive. Imagine the damage that will occur on internal organ systems already compromised by a suppressed immune system.

HIV and AIDS Patients Need Drug Treatment: Drug Interactions with Anti-HIV Drugs

In addition to the risk of infection and complications with the disease, the use of drugs and alcohol can also mean that the efficacy of antiretroviral drugs taken to control HIV will be diminished as well. In the case of opiates and other narcotic medications, antiretroviral medications interfere with their effectiveness. As a result, those who are self-medicating may take more of the painkiller or combine it with other drugs in hopes of increasing its effects and successfully managing their pain. This, in turn, mitigates the effect of the antiretroviral drugs, which increases the susceptibility to complications related to HIV and decreases the ability of the drugs to successfully manage the virus. And when your doctor doesn't know about the drugs you're taking, it makes it impossible for him or her to help you manage the disease.

HIV and AIDS Patients Needing Drug Treatment at The Canyon

At The Canyon, we are equipped to help you not only handle your drug addiction issues-no matter how or when they came about in relation to your struggle with HIV-but also with the emotional and psychological trauma that often goes hand in hand with both drug addiction and an HIV/AIDS diagnosis. Beginning with a medically supervised drug detox, our traditional and alternative therapies are offered to you on a beautiful, sprawling estate in the Santa Monica Mountains and followed by comprehensive aftercare to make sure that you are stable in your new drug-free life before you move on.

If you would like to know more about the drug treatment available at The Canyon for HIV and AIDS patients, contact us today at .

Call 877.714.1319
If The Canyon isn't right for you, we'll find the place that is.

Articles on Drug Treatment