Is Prometa a Safe Choice for Kicking Addiction?
by Ask a Healer
Related Mental Health Articles:
Addiction and Self Esteem
What is PTSD?
Prometa Drug Treatment Safety Concerns
Update 2012: I found reference to a report on medscape . com but was unable to reference that article without registering with the website. However, the title of that article suggests that prometa may be no more affective than a placebo, at least for meth addiction. Here's the search result on google for "is prometa still used?"
"PROMETA Protocol: Not Effective for Meth Dependence?
Still, they write that "under the conditions of this study," the PROMETA protocol was no more effective for treating their participants' meth use or craving than placebo."
When you are the only drug on the block that can help, some might say anything that helps someone is better than nothing. I'd say it myself after watching interviews with people who had been addicted to meth and are now free of addiction, after taking the new drug protocol being called Prometa.
This is a follow up to an�earlier post on Prometa here.
I did a little research on the three drugs that make up the Prometa anti-addiction protocol. Here's just a little of what I found and please follow up with the source websites I mention for much more information, if this is a question of particular interest for you.
The first of the drugs used in Prometa is flumazenil. I noted hepatic impairment is mentioned as a serious risk factor for those taking flumazenil. If I were considering the Prometa drugs, I'd have my doctor fully rule out existing problems with liver that may have already been caused by alcoholism or drug addictions. More information at the following website. Scroll down to the section that is for doctors, titled “for the professional” and look under serious adverse reactions.
Source: Flumazenil Side Effects from Drugs.com
The second drug in Prometa, Gabapentin (also called Neurontin) has a long list of side effects too, as do most prescription drugs, but the one that concerned me was the warning that you should tell your doctor if you have kidney disease. Since a lot of chronic drug addicts and alcoholics may have both impaired liver function and / or impaired kidney function, I don't like seeing two drugs together that could be a problem for either condition.
Source: emedtv – Warnings about gabpentin
And finally, the third prescription drug that makes up the treatment called Prometa is hydroxyzine (Also called Atarax). I couldn't find anything suggesting that impaired liver or kidney function was a concern with hydroxyzine but I did see that it is a concern if there are heart problems. Also, this drug is more likely to cause problems in the elderly.
Source: Package Inserts Information
My main concern is that no one really knows what the combined effect of these three drugs, given together, has over the entire system of the body and, in particular, the already compromised body of an addict.
Mental Health Disclaimer: None of the information posted in the Wellness Library, whether by me or guest writers, is represented as any type of replacement for any needed mental health or medical evaluation, testing or treatment a person may need.
