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When one drug is able to suppress the withdrawal signs and symptoms resulting from discontinued repeated administration of another drug, cross-dependence is said to occur. For example, methadone can be used to suppress withdrawal in persons physically dependent on heroin. This underlies one of the therapeutic bases for methadone treatment of opiate addiction. Cross-dependence is most readily seen among various opioids and is also seen among the CNS depressants such as the barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and alcohol.
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© 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Balster, R.L., Walsh, S. (2010). Cross-Dependence. In: Stolerman, I.P. (eds) Encyclopedia of Psychopharmacology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-68706-1_940
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-68706-1_940
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-68698-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-68706-1
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