Answer to Question 1
Answer: Withdrawal from opiates results in hyperthermia, pain, nausea, and malaise. Opiate withdrawal can be induced by stopping opiate treatment with the symptoms coming on gradually. Animal studies often use injection of naloxone (an opiate receptor antagonist) to rapidly induce withdrawal. Injection of naloxone into the locus coeruleus (LC) rapidly triggers withdrawal symptoms. Opiates suppress the firing rate of LC neurons but naloxone greatly increases their firing rate. Damage to the LC reduces symptoms of opiate withdrawal.
Answer to Question 2
Answer: One approach is to administer a drug that blocks dopamine receptors, so as to prevent the reinforcing action of the drug of abuse. This, however, can lead to drug craving. Administering a long-acting drug that substitutes for the drug of abuse (e.g., methadone) may help during the drug withdrawal process. A recently developed technique is to develop an antibody to the drug of abuse.
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