Prometa and its applications

¶ … drug addiction, and analyze the novel method of treating addiction, PROMETA. PROMETA is a form of treatment used today, which is targeted at the biology of addiction and addiction related diseases and disorders. What exactly is addiction, and how can one define it? Addiction, in short, can be explained as a disease that is closely associated with the biochemical changes that take place in the brain, changes that are responsible for producing the physical symptoms of an addict, that is, substance dependence, cravings, and withdrawal symptoms if the addict does not get what he craves for. PROMETA is a treatment that is designed primarily to target the adverse changes within the brain and in its chemistry, which would occur with addiction to any substances, including alcohol and drugs. It must be noted that PROMETA is a physician based and integrated program that would prove to be much more effective than any other methods of treatment that deal with addiction, over a period of time. There are, in essence, two types of PROMETA programs: PROMETA for alcohol dependence, and PROMETA for dependence upon stimulants like cocaine, methamphetamines. Not only is the treatment aimed at breaking the vicious cycle of dependence and cravings for the drugs and alcohol, but it would also help the patient or addict to maintain his abstinence consistently over long periods of time. ("PROMETA: The Prometa Treatment Program," 2007) in spite of having its disadvantages, Prometa is considered to be a breakthrough program aimed at treating substance abuse or addiction.

Discussion:

PROMETA is considered to be a breakthrough program aimed at treating substance abuse, curing the addict of his addiction, and helping him in maintaining his abstinence, and also, most importantly, treating the various underlying causes of such addiction in the individual, without in any way unnecessarily labeling or stigmatizing these otherwise normally functioning people, who may have become addicted to drugs or alcohol for reasons of their own. (Gracer; Gracer, 2007)

One example of how the PROMETA treatment worked for the best was seen in the Tualip Reservation, in which reportedly, almost about thirty to forty percent of individuals are methamphetamine addicts, and most of these addicts are extremely addicted to the drugs, and feel violent and intense cravings for the drug when they are deprived of it for some reason. This was a pilot project conducted by Pierce County, in which several Tualip tribal members participated actively, and several others signed up willingly for the PROMETA program, which would run over a period of three years.

According to the tribal court Judge Gary Bass, those who have signed up have all "indicated that it's helped greatly with their cravings, and it gives an immediate relief from the cravings so you can get long-term treatment." (Gracer; Gracer, 2007) Today, only about sixty doctors within the United States of America are being trained so as to deliver the PROMETA type of treatment. When the patient signs up, he immediately undergoes three intravenous treatments using a combination of three different drugs, within a period of a week, and while the first one may take about twelve hours, the subsequent ones would be shorter. The patient must remember that this is an outpatient program which needs no hospitalization, and it is designed in such a way that it would effectively reduce the brain's cravings for methamphetamine, alcohol, and other addictive substances like cocaine. (Gracer; Gracer, 2007)

According to Sullivan, the PROMETA treatment is 'off-label', and this means that no federal approval may be needed for its implementation. Immediately after the three intravenous treatments, the patient would be offered a month long prescription medication, and he is also advised to join up with a twelve step therapy group session like for example 'Narcotics Anonymous'. Sullivan also stated "Traditionally if you were an addict, your family would do an intervention or you would decide to stop and you'd have to go away for rehab, and it would take you out of your work and home and is disruptive to your family," and this statement is especially applicable to native American Indians, who have always been wary of avoiding their reservations with regard to treatment and medical interventions of any kind at all, and this could mean that their constant battle against drugs and addictions like methamphetamine would not meet with success. (Gracer; Gracer, 2007) With this dynamic form of treatment termed PROMETA, however, things may finally start to look better for native Americans, who suffer form addictions of various kinds, and tolerate it all because they do not wish to leave their reservations for proper treatment. (Gracer; Gracer, 2007)

There can be no doubt that PROMETA has managed to capture a good share of the market for de addiction treatments, and according to Hythiam, Inc. which stated the financial results with regard to the second quarter that had finished on June 30, 2007. These took into account the results available from Comprehensive Care Corporation which was consolidated or what is being popularly called 'CompCare', and they stated that there was a spectacular enlargement in the amount of patients who underwent treatment at the registered sites of the company in the U.S. And at other registered centers of PROMETA. The total was two hundred and forty nine patients undergoing treatment with regard to the PROMETA treatment program during the second half of the year 2007, as compared to the one hundred and seventy five patients who were treated in the second half of the year 2006, and about one hundred and fifty five patients in the first half of the year 2007. During the second half of the same year 2007, there were forty two licensee sites that contributed to revenues against twenty in the same period during the last year. (Kapralos, 2006)

As per Dr. Raymond Johnson the reason why the innovative and integrated de addiction treatment PROMETA is so popular is that it could be that several patients who were able to complete their treatment showed an almost immediate and impressive increase in their basic functions, which, for all clinical reasons, meant that they had undergone a remission in relation to their disease. A presentation had the inclusion from findings attained from the clinical trials of the 52 patients which had considered for this dynamic treatment for their alcohol as also substance dependence along with their addictions that was being held at the 'FSAM' Annual Conference on Addictions, or Florida Society of Addiction Medicine's. In the presentation twenty seven patients were treated for alcohol as well as cocaine dependence, while the other twenty four were treated for alcohol dependence and addiction. (Hythiam Inc., 2007)

Dr Johnson stated with great confidence that most of the patients who entered the initial stage of the reported that they found dramatic improvement in their functioning abilities, and that they continued to show dramatic improvement as the treatment continued, and when the patients were required to enter into the group therapy and individual therapy sessions for their addictions.

What was an astonishing and extremely useful discovery was that the rates of patient retention for those individuals addicted to alcohol, that is those patients, who continued their treatment without a break, until the end, was a tremendous hundred percent. This was something unheard of in any form of de addiction program, feel experts. (Hythiam Inc., 2007)

The initial program for PROMETA treatment lasts for a period of thirty days, after which the patients are offered a chance to take part in the intensive level outpatient psychosocial therapy program for another period of sixty days. According to Dr. Johnson, almost 92%, or 33% of the 36% patients who decided to attain PROMETA, in addition to the extra 60 days of psychosocial therapy had entered into a level of remission or that of early remission at the time of the most acute of the medical stage of PROMETA, or at the very least, soon afterwards. With regard to most of these individuals, only about 8%, or 3 patients, had shown a relapse and had moved back to their old habit of compulsive usage of alcohol or that of drugs, when compared to the 12 of the 48 patients who attained PROMETA did not have the acceptance of the intensive outpatient aftercare in relation to the varied personal issues of their own. (Hythiam Inc., 2007) This shows that PROMETA is an effective and comprehensive strategy that has been designed to fight the addiction that alcohol and substance abusers are prone to, as it handles the chemical imbalances in the brain that are caused as a natural consequence of such addictive behaviors. What is even better news for addicts, including those addicted to methamphetamines, is that with the PROMETA treatment, there may be lesser chances of remission, than with any other sort of de-addiction treatment. This in itself could prove to be a great incentive for those individuals who sincerely wish to rid themselves of their drug habit and addictions.

Nevertheless, it cannot be stated that all is rosy for the treatment. Increasingly, PROMETA has come under close scrutiny, with several individuals and experts claming that the treatment does not achieve all that it claims to do, although there have been numerous testimonials testifying to the efficacy of the system of treatment for addiction. In one patient's own words, "I had tried everything, and nothing worked for me. But PROMETA has!" (Addiction Medicine, 2006) in the words of Chicago based addiction specialist David Ostrow, there had been attempts to create hype, to an extent that was not essential, in the publicity associated with this new treatment PROMETA. In fact, he reiterated, there was very little evidence presented by the promoters of the product, to show that this indeed was a form of treatment that would work for addicts and alcoholics, in maintaining their abstinence over prolonged periods of time, and in acting against the chemicals that promote the addictions in the individual. He said, "These kinds of treatments have come and gone like garden weeds in the field of addiction." (Addiction Medicine, 2006)

Other experts too voice similar opinions, that PROMETA was presented to the unwary public without first demonstrating the fact that the treatment would prove to be useful for methamphetamine and alcohol addicts. How much use would a 'drug cocktail' do for an individual who is already in the grip of an addiction to some substance or the other, asked other experts of the revolutionary PROMETA treatment targeted at handling the chemical imbalances of the brain caused and brought about by the addiction. The reason is that the treatment has not been provided approval by the Food and Drug Administration as that of an addiction therapy, and neither has the treatment been subjected to extensive scientific research and testing. All the same, those patients who have tried and tested the PROMETA treatment vouch for its efficacy in handling their addiction in such a way that it reduced their cravings at the very outset, after which it treated their addiction, after which it helped them keep off the drugs. However, in the words of Alex Stalcup, an expert on methamphetamine addiction, it is more of a marketing scheme than a real de addiction treatment for addicts and alcoholics, while Dr. Matthew Torrington, had this to say, "People are dying (from drug abuse) and this (treatment) seems to be making a dramatic difference." (Addiction Medicine, 2006) Although this treatment has not been tested properly yet, it is being aggressively promoted, felt another expert, who disagreed with and opposed the very act of introducing such treatments without conducting proper clinical trials first. (Addiction Medicine, 2006)

This is how PROMETA works. The Pierce County Alliance announced that forty long-term methamphetamine and cocaine users would be enrolled in a pilot program to treat substance dependence, entitled PROMETA. The treatment as such would consist of two cycles. The first cycle would include a daily infusion of specially formulated PROMETA medication over a period of three days. This might be immediately being followed afterwards with the second treatment level of daily regular infusions of some similar types of medications over two consecutive days. The second type of treatment cycle might start about 21 days soon after the initial day of the first level of infusion. When the addicts were treated with the two levels of treatment over the specific duration of time, tests showed that about 92.5% of the patients who were part of the program were drug free, and about 98% of the random weekly urine evaluations of the treated patients revealed the fact that they remained free of drug abuse. (Shelton, 2007)

This was a feat hitherto not achieved by any other drug de addiction program, stated experts and personnel belonging to the PROMETA treatment program. Those patients who had managed to successfully complete both their infusion treatment program as well as the following treatment regimens were declared by their case manager as being 'much improved', and this meant that these patients would no longer have to suffer the consequences of being addicted to drugs, alcohol or to methamphetamines. In the same manner, those patients who took part in the PROMETA program, and who had not had the bitter experience of a relapse or even over one relapse at the time of the vital period of 60 days after completing of their treatment, and also those who had not been incarcerated by the law for any type of drug related offence during the same period could be considered successful at the treatment, stated a spokesman for the treatment program, PROMETA. (Shelton, 2007)