Withdrawal from opioid addiction should always be medically managed in a hospital. When following a patient who is going through withdrawal from heavy cocaine use, suicide attempts should be anticipated. When treating a heroin addict, the primary care physician should always consider prescribing methadone for maintenance as an adjunct to treatment. Prescribing sedatives for known alcohol or drug dependent patients is very risky and may actually increase alcohol or other drug use by these patients. Hypnotics are usually effective in treating sleep disorders for alcohol or other drug dependent patients.
Depression experienced by substance abusers usually clears with abstinence.
Naltrexone seems to work better, as an aid to relapse prevention, in motivated patients such as impaired professionals. In addition to the material presented above be sure to review Charles P. O'Brien's article, A Range of Research-Based Pharmacotherapies for Addiction.