The Basics of Prescription drug Addiction

The following are a few questions that you need to ask yourself when you are considering prescription drug abuse recovery:

• When did you first take the prescription medication that you are now addicted to?
• What steps led you to start taking more than the recommended dosage?
• How have you been gaining access to the medications that you addicted to?
• Have you lied to family members, friends and medical professionals in order to continue your addictive behaviors?
• Has your drug use had a negative impact on your life?

When you are going through prescription drug addiction treatment, you will need to carefully examine each aspect of your addiction. Your prescription drug abuse may have started with a legitimate prescription, but this does not mean you are immune from addiction. Additional issues such as the following can make addiction even more likely:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Bipolar disorder
• PTSD
• Unmanageable physical pain
• Relationship difficulties

Prescription drug addiction treatment will provide integrated treatment that addresses the addiction and all contributing factors. Qualified and experienced counselors will help you to better understand your addiction and better understand yourself.

Call for Drug Abuse or Addiction Recovery Support

If you are struggling with prescription drug abuse, get the quality addiction treatment that you need. Call our toll-free prescription helpline to speak with one of our compassionate and knowledgeable counselors. Our counselors can provide answers to your questions while guiding you to available recovery options. We are here to help you better understand your addiction so that you can find success with your recovery.

Tolerance Can Lead to Prescription Drug Misuse

When a drug stops working or pain begins to return, a user may respond by taking a little more of his or her medication. This casual and seemingly harmless action can have dire consequences. Taking a higher dose of a medication without medical approval is drug abuse. The body will become accustomed to the increased dose, resulting in tolerance and leading to addiction. Know what amount of a medication is healthy and safe to take within a certain amount of time. Your doctor can give you this information based on your specific circumstance and the medication being used. Safe doses vary depending on the drug, but there are general guidelines you can follow to avoid addiction. If you do develop a dependence on or addiction to prescription medications, there is still help and hope. Admitting to a prescription drug addiction can create feelings of shame and embarrassment, but there is no reason to be embarrassed if you are getting help. If you did not intend to abuse a drug, you should not go on living as if you had. You can get treatment and get back to living your life.

Get Help for Prescription Drug Abuse or Addiction

If you or someone you love has become addicted to a prescription drug, give us a call. We want to help you learn about treatment options and how to safely take medication. Call our 24 hour toll-free helpline to speak with a trained addiction counselor who can assist you. Don’t let an honest dosage mistake turn into a tragedy. Call today.

Addict coping with prescription drug abuse symptoms.

Some other risk factors include:

• Family history of addiction
  • While the interplay between genetics and environment is not entirely clear, there is a higher risk for drug abuse if you have a family history of addiction.
• History of mental illness
  • Drug abuse can worsen mental illness or even create new symptoms.
• Untreated physical pain
  • Without medical supervision, pain medications or illegal drugs like heroin can rapidly become addictive.
• Peer pressure
  • It can be difficult to resist the pressure to try them if people around you are doing drugs, especially if you are a teenager.

Physical Signs of Prescription Drug Addiction

One of the main signs a user can employ to assess the level of their addiction is by looking at their tolerance to the drug. As time progresses, a user needs more of the drug to achieve the same effects as they did with a lower dose.
Prescription drug abuse affects the brain and body directly. While high, the drug affects the entire body from blood pressure to heart rate. Stimulants like cocaine and methamphetamine “amp up” the body, increasing blood pressure and metabolism, and reducing the ability to sleep. Drugs like opiates and barbiturates slow down the body, reducing blood pressure, breathing and alertness sometimes to dangerous levels.
Some general physical signs of abuse and addiction include:

• Cycles of increased energy, restlessness and inability to sleep (often seen in stimulants)
• Abnormally slow movements, speech or reaction time, confusion and disorientation (often seen in opiates, benzodiazepines and barbiturates)
• Sudden weight loss or weight gain
• Cycles of excessive sleep or bouts of dizziness and insomnia
• Unexpected changes in clothing, such as constantly wearing long sleeved shirts to hide scarring at injection sites
• For snorted drugs, chronic troubles with sinusitis or nosebleeds (prescription drugs that have been crushed for snorting purposes)
• Excessive sweating, urination or thirst
• Nausea and vomiting
• Uncontrollable diarrhea
• Spastic shaking
• Unpleasant or painful symptoms when substance is withdrawn

The health risks associated with prescription drug abuse vary depending on the agent. Each class of drugs has its own particular set of side effects but in general the majority of effects of prescription drugs can cause the following side effects:

• Side effects of opioids
  • Respiratory depression, low blood pressure, nausea, vomiting
• Side effects of benzodiazepines
  • Sedation, coma, decreased respiration, lethargy, mental confusion
• Side effects of stimulants
  • Fever, fast heart rate, increased blood pressure, seizures

Mental and Emotional Signs of Prescription Drug Addiction

Because drugs are abused for the temporary good feelings they provide, abuse and addiction also affect the user’s mood. These feelings can vary depending on the drug used.

Some mental and emotional signs include:

• Cycles of being unusually talkative and cheerful with seemingly boundless energy (alterations in mood)
• Increased irritability, agitation and anger
• Unusual calmness, unresponsiveness or looking “spaced out” (confusion)
• Apathy and depression (suicidal)
• Paranoia, delusions
• Temporary psychosis, hallucinations
• Lowered threshold for violence

The majority of these individuals may have social or emotional problems, stress, depression, anxiety, financial woes or familial problems. A gradual change in these individuals may give a hint to their problem of prescription drug abuse.

These changes include:

• A change in friends
• Declining interest in health
• Decreased interest in school
• Isolation from family and old friends
• Repeated lies, stealing
• Withdraws from social activities

Prescription Drug Addiction Help

If you or someone you know is struggling with a prescription drug addiction, we can help. Please call our toll free number at (888) 371-5714. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to answer your questions on prescription drug addiction treatment.

Prescription Drug Addiction Effects on Society

Drug abuse in general causes the government to spend a lot of money that could otherwise be spent on education or other channels. The urge to use is so powerful that criminal activity for money or more drugs can be a strong temptation. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in the US, the total economic cost of substance abuse has reached $245 billion. This was spent on treatment and prevention costs, healthcare, losses on job productivity, crime and social welfare.

Prescription Drug Addiction Effects on Friends and Family

Because denial is the most powerful effect of abuse and addiction, the urge to use is so strong that the mind finds many ways to rationalize drug use. Addicts may lash out at concerned family members, making the family feel like they are exaggerating and overstating the problem. What makes this so frustrating for family members is the person abusing drugs often sincerely believes they do not have a problem and can make the family member feel like the dysfunctional one.

This denial and rationalization can lead to increased problems with work, finances and relationships. The user may blame others for losing their job or for reasons why they continue using. While work and relationship stresses happen to everyone, an overall pattern of deterioration and blaming others may be a sign of trouble.

Child abuse and neglect is much more common when there is drug abuse in the family. Parents who abuse drugs or alcohol tend to neglect their children, leaving them to their own devices. Because they are preoccupied with their substances, addicted parents fail to provide the proper guidance that children need especially during their growing years. Teenagers who grow up in homes where a respected adult or parent uses alcohol or drugs have a higher tendency for developing an addiction later. This is mainly because the household is more lenient in terms of drug use. Domestic violence also happens more frequently. The emotional toll can be overwhelming.

Prescription Drug Addiction Effects on the User’s Health

Like all drug abuse, using prescription drugs for the wrong reasons has serious risks for a person’s health. This risk is higher when prescription drugs like opioids are taken with other substances like alcohol, antihistamines, and central nervous system (CNS) depressants. Long-term use of opioids or CNS depressants can lead to physical dependence and addiction. Taken in high doses, stimulants can lead to compulsive use, paranoia, dangerously high body temperatures and irregular heartbeat.

CNS depressants have risks as well. Abruptly stopping or reducing them too quickly can lead to seizures. Taking CNS depressants with other medications, such as prescription painkillers, some over-the-counter cold and allergy medications or alcohol can slow a person’s heartbeat and breathing — and even kill.

Abusing stimulants (like some ADHD drugs) may cause heart failure or seizures. These risks are increased when stimulants are mixed with other medicines, even over the counter (OTC) ones like certain cold medicines. Taking too much of a stimulant can lead a person to develop a dangerously high body temperature or an irregular heartbeat. Taking several high doses over a short period of time may make a drug abuser aggressive or paranoid. Although stimulant abuse might not lead to physical dependence and withdrawal, the feelings these drugs give people can cause them to use the drugs more and more often so that it becomes a habit that’s hard to break.

The dangers of the effects of prescription drug abuse can be made even worse if people take drugs in a way they aren’t supposed to be taken. Ritalin may seem harmless because it’s prescribed even for little kids with ADHD. But when a person snorts or injects Ritalin, it can be serious. And because there can be many variations of the same medication, the dose of medication and how long it stays in the body can vary. The person who doesn’t have a prescription might not really know which one he or she has.

Prescription Drug Addiction Help

Probably the most common result of prescription drug abuse is addiction. People who abuse medications can become addicted just as easily as if they were taking street drugs. The reason many drugs have to be prescribed by a doctor is because some of them are quite addictive. That’s one of the reasons most doctors won’t usually renew a prescription unless they see the patient in order to examine the patient to make sure they aren’t becoming addicted.

If you or someone you know is struggling with a prescription drug addiction, we can help. Please call our toll free number at (877) 571-5722. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to answer your questions on prescription drug addiction treatment.

There are several different kinds of prescription drugs that are abused: opioid painkillers, sedatives/tranquilizers and stimulants. Within these three main categories are drugs such as: morphine, codeine, oxycodone, Xanax, hydrocodone, OxyContin and morphine.

Opioid Painkillers

Opioids are commonly prescribed because of their effective pain-relieving properties (analgesic). Some medications that fall within this class include: morphine, codeine, oxycodone, and some other lesser-known drugs. They can be prescribed to relieve moderate to severe pain, based on the dosage and which drug is administered. In some cases, they are also used as a cough suppressant. When used properly, opioids can be an effective way to deal with pain. However, when abused, the user becomes dependent or addicted and will encounter adverse effects.

Natural opiates, or endorphins, cease to function normally after prolonged use of opiates. It’s been termed a central nervous system (CNS) disorder. The body stops producing endorphins because it is receiving opiates instead. As these nerve cells begin degenerating, a physical dependency to an external supply of opiates develops.

Serious health conditions are associated with opiate abuse, including:

• Fatal overdose
• Spontaneous abortion
• Collapsed veins
• Infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS and hepatitis particularly in users who inject the drug
• Infection of the heart lining and valves
• Abscesses
• Cellulitis
• Liver disease

Therefore, it is very important to get the use of this drug stopped. As soon after a single dose is taken, short-term effects of abuse appear and then disappear in a few hours.

Sedatives/Tranquilizers

Sedatives or tranquilizers are also known as central nervous system depressants (CNS depressants). They are commonly used in patients with anxiety and sleeping problems because the drug slows down brain activity. Two different classes of CNS depressants are: barbiturates and benzodiazepines. If these drugs are used long term, the body builds up a tolerance to the drug, therefore, the person needs to take a larger dosage in order to receive the initial feeling. This leads to dependency and withdrawal effects when the user stops taking the drug. The drug slows down the brain activity, so when the user goes off the drug, the brain may react by working out of control and can lead to seizures.

Both classes of depressants are useful medications with a potential for abuse and dependence. Sedative abuse may be difficult to diagnose. The abuse can start in the context of medical treatment for anxiety, medical disorders or insomnia.

Symptoms of use are similar to alcohol:

• Intoxication
• Withdrawal
• Withdrawal delirium
• Amnestic disorder

Low dose benzodiazepine dependence is very common today. When the medication is withdrawn, anxiety symptoms may increase for months. It is often found that those that abuse this particular prescription drug and attempt to quit using them can often be treated for anxiety when it’s essentially a withdrawal symptom. Along with that, withdrawal symptoms may not be evident until seven to 10 days after cessation of use. It is for this reason that someone experienced in treating anxiety disorders must follow these patients.

Because of the similar effects of both, combined usage of sedatives and alcohol has a higher risk of overdose. These patients can have an extended withdrawal that can last for months and treatment for use is similar to alcohol. A counteractive sedative is administered to prevent severe withdrawal symptoms. This medication is gradually decreased until the patient is clear of the drug.

Stimulants

Stimulants have very different effects than sedatives. They increase energy, alertness, heart rate and respiration. Doctors used to use stimulants for many different purposes, but because of the high risk of abuse, it has been limited to helping narcolepsy, ADHD and severe depression. Those who take stimulants for an extended period of time are likely to become dependent and will encounter effects of withdrawal when trying to quit.

Two of the most popular prescription stimulant drugs abused regularly are Ritalin and ephedrine. Ephedrine is most commonly used by college students to stay awake for long periods of time and often mistaken as a safer alternative to crystal meth.

Ritalin affects the CNS and is normally prescribed for ADHD in adults and children. Its effects can last for hours and produce a euphoric effect. When taken as prescribed, Ritalin produces a calming effect on the individual, reducing their impulsiveness, hyperactivity and inattentiveness, which is why so effective in treating children who have ADD.

Prescription Drugs Facts

When used properly, prescription drugs are very helpful to those who need them. However, prescription drugs are some of the easiest drugs to abuse. Abusing prescription medication is very common in teenagers. A study, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, was conducted on 592, 12 to 17 year olds. It found that 20 percent of the teenagers admitted to lending their prescription medications to other students. There was a similar amount that admitted to borrowing the drugs as well. There are many risk factors that go along with sharing drugs such as:

• They may not come with the written instructions that the doctor gives the patients who were prescribed the medication
• There may be side effects that would occur in certain people

Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention

Prevention is key. It is important to:

• Keep your prescription medications clearly labeled and away from children and those with a history of drug abuse.
• Keep all medications in a locked cabinet.
• Dispose of all unused pills properly. The federal government suggests flushing opioid painkillers down the toilet. Other unused medications can be mixed with coffee grounds or kitty litter and thrown away.

Failure to follow these steps can lead to becoming dependent on prescription drugs.

Prescription Drug Addiction Help

If you or someone you know is struggling with an addiction to prescription drugs, please call our toll free number at (877) 571-5722. Someone is available 24 hours a day to help you with choosing the right treatment for addiction.

A study, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, was conducted on 592, 12 to 17 year olds. It found that 20 percent of the teenagers admitted to lending their prescription medications to other students. There was a similar amount that admitted to borrowing the drugs as well.

There are many risk factors that go along with sharing drugs such as:

• The shared drugs may not come with the written instructions that the doctor gives the patients who were prescribed the medication
• There may be side effects that would occur in certain people

Prescription Drug Dependency

Prescription drugs are highly dependent. Often, prescription drug addiction happens accidentally. When used for a prolonged amount of time, the body becomes used to the amount of drugs administered. When this happens, the user has to take more to receive the initial effects. This becomes dangerous because when a user does not take the medication, withdrawal symptoms will occur. When taking prescriptions medications, the patient needs to do exactly as the doctor says to stay clear of addiction.

Prescription Drug Abuse Warning Signs

Sometimes it can be difficult to tell if someone is abusing prescriptions or if they really need the medication. There are certain warning signs to look for when you think someone is abusing prescription medications:

• “Losing” prescriptions often so they have to go to the doctor to get a new one
• Getting prescriptions from more than one doctor
• Taking higher doses despite warnings
• Stealing prescriptions
• Forging prescriptions
• Selling prescriptions
• Excessive mood swings

Symptoms of Drug Abuse

The symptoms of prescription drug abuse depend on what kind of drug is being used. The most commonly abused prescription medications are: painkillers, sedatives and stimulants.

Opioid painkiller symptoms and complications are:

• Constipation
• Depression
• Low blood pressure
• Decreased respiration rate
• Confusion
• Increased risk of choking
• Loss of menstrual periods and fertility
• Slowed breathing rate

Sedative or tranquilizer symptoms and complications are:

• Drowsiness
• Confusion
• Unsteady gait
• Impaired judgment
• Involuntary and rapid movement of the eye ball
• Memory problems
• Overdose can cause coma or death

Stimulant symptoms and complication are:

• Weight loss
• Agitation
• Irritability
• Insomnia
• High blood pressure
• Irregular heart beat
• Hallucinations
• Seizures
• Increased risk of stroke

Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention

Prevention is key. It is important to:

• Keep your prescription medications clearly labeled and away from children and those with a history of drug abuse.
• Keep all medications in a locked cabinet.
• Dispose of all unused pills properly. The federal government suggests flushing opioid painkillers down the toilet. Other unused medications can be mixed with coffee grounds or kitty litter and thrown away.

Failure to follow the steps can lead to becoming dependent on prescription drugs.

If you or a loved one is addicted to prescription drugs, it is important to seek help. Prescription drugs are a highly dependent and addictive. But, there is hope. If you are interested in receiving information on prescription drug detox or rehab, please call our toll free number at (877) 571-5722.