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  • TDS Moderators: AlphaMethylPhenyl | paranoid android

Can you get dependent on non psychoactive drugs?

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milfhunter

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May 25, 2009
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This crossed my mind last night. Just to be clear: by dependent I mean physically addicted.

e.g. Can you get physically addicted to penicillin? (Well, I'm pretty sure you that was just an example)
 
Probably not penicillin, but some other medications cause physical dependence despite not really being drugs of abuse. Long term use of beta-blockers can't be stopped abruptly because of risk of rebound hypertension, and also a high-dose corticosteroid medication has to be tapered slowly.

EDIT: the terms 'addiction' and 'dependence' are not the same thing. Addiction means that someone keeps using a drug despite negative consequences. Dependence means that you need a drug to maintain normal functioning.
 
antidepressants also fall into the 'dependant' category. there was once an atypical TCA called amineptine that had abuse potential, but that really is probably the only antidepresant that was used recreationally. and i don't think it's still available anywhere.
although i hear tianeptine can produce mildly pleasant effects, and it's widely used IV in in the east of europe, at least i read that somewhere... no claims on the veracity of this.
oh and anticonvulsants also should never be discontinued cold turkey.
 
Not penicillin, but yes you can get physically dependent to a drug that doesn't make you "high" and/or without being addicted. And you can get addicted to something that doesn't cause physical dependence (people can get mentally addicted to almost anything, all though of course some things are much more prone to addiction). It's much easier to quit a drug that causes physical dependence than it is to quit an addiction. Even if you are getting withdrawal symptoms if you get no immediate mental benefits from taking the drug and you are not addicted, it is much easier to bear the withdrawal symptoms or control a taper. For example, I quit taking Lamictal and Cymbalta "cold-turkey" and got really bad/weird withdrawal symptoms but I was not compelled to go back to using them.
 
You can get physical dependance to things lacking in psychoactive propitiates such as anticonvulsants and topical Corticosteroids
 
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