Increased Access to Prescription Drugs through Medical Jobs

The medical field is the source from which prescription drugs are introduced into the public realm. As a medical worker you will be around prescription drugs on a regular basis. It is likely that you will sometimes find yourself in a position to acquire prescription drugs through subversive or illegal means. You may find that the doctor you work for has a supply of samples from which you could skim off a few without getting caught. You may discover a way to falsify prescriptions, or you may have access to supplies intended for patients. All of these actions are illegal and can add legal trouble to your existing prescription drug problem.

Diversion of Prescription Drugs to the Black Market

One of the primary means of supplying prescription drugs to the black market for illegal distribution is through diversion of legitimate prescriptions. The vast majority of prescription drugs bought, sold or consumed illegally, drugs that may be responsible for overdose deaths or a host of other problems associated with the illegal drug trade, came from a doctor’s office. Many prescription drugs are diverted by patients, but some are diverted by medical professionals who acquire the drugs and sell them to make a profit. If you are a prescription drug user, it is likely that you have friends who are also prescription drug users. Your social circle that is comfortable with the idea of selling and using illegal drugs. Working in the medical field can provide opportunity and temptation to engage in the illegal distribution of prescription drugs. This practice could land you in a serious legal predicament from which you might never fully recover.

Questions about Prescription Drug Abuse?

If you have any questions about prescription drugs, the connection between addiction and employment and effective and confidential options for addressing prescription drug abuse problems, call us. Our number is toll free, and we are available 24 hours a day.

Reasons People Continue to Use Prescription Drugs

The most commonly abused prescription drugs include opioids such as Lortab or Percocet and benzodiazepines such as Ativan or Xanax, and these drugs produce a strong physical dependence that makes quitting extremely difficult. Once dependency has occurred, stopping use of these drugs causes withdrawal symptoms that can be extremely unpleasant and even dangerous. When prescription drug addicts try to quit without professional assistance, the withdrawal symptoms are often overwhelming and compel relapse. Addiction treatment allows patients to detox in a safe environment under the care of professionals who know how to make patients as comfortable as possible.

Addicts may be afraid to enter rehab, which is completely normal. But the fact is that rehab professionals know the safest, most effective ways to treat drug addiction. Rehab centers are designed to make the experience as pleasant as possible and ensure the greatest chances of success. Treatment can be the turning point in a person’s life, leading to enormous positive changes. In short, professional rehab can help you stop using prescription drugs.

Finally, drug use can become a deeply ingrained habit. The lifestyle of drug abuse can dominate a person’s identity. It is likely that most or all of a drug user’s friends are also drug users, and she may fear that quitting drugs means she will lose friends. But the fact is that once a person has conquered addiction, she will see that she can enjoy life without drugs. Sober living opens up new possibilities. Recovering addicts will have more money, free time, energy, ambition and better health. They will find new friends who share in her newfound interests and love of life.

Reasons to Stop Using Prescription Drugs

The most important reason to stop using prescription drugs is that it may save your life. Opioids can cause fatal overdose, especially if combined with sedatives like alcohol or benzodiazepines. Benzodiazepines usually don’t lead to death when taken by themselves, but they can be fatal when combined with alcohol, opioids or other benzodiazepines. Chronic, long-term use of these drugs can lead to severe dependency and numerous health and psychological problems, possibly including psychosis or suicidal tendencies.
Regular use of prescription drugs can cause numerous problems, including legal and financial troubles, problems with family and relationships, damage to a career and job loss.

Help Finding Treatment for Prescription Drug Addiction

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How Getting Drugs from a Dealer Can Be Dangerous

Buying prescription drugs from a dealer can be dangerous because you will not be able to know the drug’s exact contents. The drug may contain a higher dose than you expect, may contain other unknown drugs or may contain a variety of filler ingredients. These dangers can greatly increase the chance of an overdose, and users may find themselves suffering from an addiction to a drug they did not know they were taking. In fact, many users who buy drugs from a dealer find themselves addicted to multiple substances, which can make it more complicated to find recovery.

Addiction Treatment for Prescription Drugs

If you have been buying prescription drugs illegally from a dealer and are not exactly sure which drugs you may be addicted to, there is help available. Professional drug treatment can offer you the medical attention and comprehensive treatment that can help you find recovery. When you enroll in a drug treatment program, medical professionals can provide you with a test to discover which drugs may be in your system. Once your substances are identified, you can undergo a medically supervised detox process to cleanse your system and help you overcome withdrawals. After detox and withdrawal, rehab patients can begin to learn more about the addiction, any underlying or co-occurring disorders and tips for avoiding relapse.

Finding Help for Prescription Drug Addiction

If you or someone you love is struggling with prescription drug addiction, please call our toll-free helpline now. Our counselors are available 24 hours a day to answer your questions and help you find the best treatment option for your situation. We are here to help. Please call now.

What Are the Perceived Benefits of Malingering?

When people malinger, they do so for one of the following reasons:

• To get financial compensation
• To avoid school, work or military service
• To obtain drugs or extend the use of prescribed medications
• To get a lighter criminal sentences
• To attract attention or sympathy

Notice that the underlying motivation to malinger is often to avoid, deny, or perform an unscrupulous act. These behaviors are also often associated with addiction.

Signs of Malingering

There is no diagnostic tool that indicates if a person is malingering with the intent to get a new medication or acquire more of the prescription drug than they need. However the prescribing physician should be suspicious, if any of the following occurs:

• A person comes to you as a new patient with a preexisting ailment that requires prescribed medication but does not have previous medical records or the contact information for his or her former physician
• The person has a record of multiple admissions to various hospitals
• The person is specific on which medications he or she wants you to prescribe or has an unusual and uncommon textbook knowledge of medical conditions
• When investigating what caused this person’s preexisting ailment, the events that lead up to it are not consistent with the ailment or there are inconsistencies in the retelling of events
• The patient mentions that they may be seeking financial reimbursement for events that caused the ailment
• During the course of the examination the patient constantly talks about the requirement for the prescription drugs
• The symptoms and the medical findings vary significantly
• Exaggerated, dramatic presentation of symptoms
• Acceptance of the risk of medical procedures and surgeries
• Substance abuse
• Disruptive, attention seeking behavior while in hospital
• Few visitors during hospital stay

Malingering and Prescription Drug Addiction

A person who malingers does have an agenda, but very few people have the agenda to become an addict. If you know that someone is malingering, and you fear that they are abusing prescription drugs or are addiction, check for any of the following:

• Medical condition that requires pain medication
• Family history of addiction
• Excess alcohol consumption
• Fatigue or overwork
• Depression or poor self-concept

If the person has more than three of these issues, you might want to help them seek assistance now before their malingering with prescription drugs leads to addiction.

Treatment for Malingering

While there is no specific protocol to treat malingering, it is important to consider the underlying reason for the malingering. With that understanding different treatment options can help the person recognize and address the underlying condition. The goals of treating malingering are to stop the behavior, address, the legitimate needs for any medication and to reinforce alternative coping mechanisms.

Get Help for Prescription Drug Addiction

If you or someone you know is addicted prescription drugs or misusing them through malingering, call our toll-free helpline today. We are available 24 hours a day to answer any questions you might have about prescription drug addiction treatment. We are here to help.

Legal Consequences of Driving Under the Influence of Prescription Drugs

Even though prescription drugs are legal substances, it is illegal to abuse them. If you are caught abusing illegal drugs, you can suffer permanent legal consequences. Also, prescription drugs cause a high and buzz that hinders motor functioning, which means that prescription drug abuse can cause you to behave in ways that you wouldn’t ordinarily. If you are stopped while driving and are under the influence of prescription drugs, you can be arrested under a DUI (driving under the influence) charge as if you were driving under the influence of alcohol. Before you think it is ok to abuse prescription drugs, think again.

Legal Consequences of Forging Prescriptions

Some people obtain their prescription drugs in a normal and legal way at first, but once they start abusing the drugs they realize that they need more and more to feel normal. This means that they need to find a way to get more prescription drugs, which some people accomplish by forging prescriptions. They can do this by either altering a prescription that was already filled or writing a new prescription for themselves. This practice is illegal and can land you in jail anywhere from 6 months to a year. The last thing you want when you’re trying to deal with addiction recovery is to deal with jail time as well. Start overcoming your addiction the safe way, in a rehab center, and not the forced way, while serving a prison sentence.

What to Do about Prescription Drug Abuse

Our toll-free helpline is available 24 hours a day to answer your questions about prescription drug abuse, addiction and treatment. Our phone counselors can help you find the right treatment facilities and professionals to meet your needs, and they can even find out if your health insurance will help you pay for treatment. Don’t let prescription drug abuse control your life a moment longer. Call us right now and begin your recovery today.

Medically-approved drugs are considered safe when used as directed, but many can be quite dangerous if used incorrectly. It is extremely important to use drugs only and exactly as directed. Even over-the-counter (OTC) drugs can be dangerous if used incorrectly by exceeding the recommended dosage or combining the drugs with others. Prescription drugs such as opioid pain medications and benzodiazepine sedatives are especially dangerous if used incorrectly or abused for recreational purposes.

“Safe” is a relative term. Many drugs carry the risk of negative side effects even when used as directed. The risks for side effects are weighed against the benefits to the patient, when the FDA approves drugs or schedules them as controlled substances. The possible side effects of the many OTC and prescription drugs are almost unlimited. Some of the most serious possible side effects involve prescription pain killers and sedatives. Drugs in these classes can cause death when taken in high doses or when combined with alcohol and are likely to lead to a strong physical dependence if taken for an extended period of time. Sedatives can lead to dependence in a particularly short amount of time, and any physical dependence on prescription-level drugs will require professional treatment.

Other potential side effects of various prescription and OTC drugs include the following:

• Drowsiness
• Impaired motor skills
• Impaired cognitive abilities
• Insomnia
• Psychomotor agitation (the compulsion to engage in repetitive physical activities such as endless pacing)
• Personality changes
• Irritability
• Aggression
• Dizziness
• Depression
• Short-term memory loss
• Apathy
• Lethargy
• Loss of ambition and motivation
• Loss of sex drive
• Dry mouth
• Sweating
• Chills
• Constipation
• Itchiness
• Tingling
• Blurred vision

Many drugs produce increased negative side effects when combined with alcohol or other drugs. It is imperative to read warning labels on OTC drugs and to inform your doctor of any other medications you are taking.

End Prescription Drug Abuse or Addiction

If you are taking any drugs, especially prescription medications, find out what they are and how they work. If you would like more information about the drugs you are taking or would like an abuse or addiction assessment, call our toll-free helpline. We are here 24 hours a day to answer your questions about medically-approved drugs and options for ending drug use.

How to Dispose of Unused Prescription Medicines

In order to properly dispose of any unused prescription pills, individuals must first look for any specific disposal instructions on the drug label or in the patient information. If the drugs can be put in the trash, individuals should take the pills out of their original containers and mix them with an unattractive substance such as kitty litter or used coffee grounds. The pills can be ground up or crushed in order to mix well. This will prevent children, pets or strangers from finding and consuming the leftover drugs. The mixture should be placed in a sealed bag or container to prevent the contents from spilling out. People should also be sure to black out the identifying information on their prescription label.

Should I Flush Expired or Unused Prescription Pills?

Most prescription drugs should not be flushed down the toilet due to environmental concerns. Trace levels of drug residue have been found in lakes, ponds and some community drinking supplies. Disposal instructions on the bottle’s label will specifically indicate whether the pills should be flushed down the toilet or not. Many prescription drugs contain powerful medications that are harmful to children or pets, and it is important to get rid of them immediately by flushing.

Not Sure If You Should Flush or Throw Away Your Medicine?

If a prescription or over-the-counter medication does not supply disposal instructions on the label, your local pharmacy will be able to provide appropriate instructions. Community drug take-back programs are rising up across the United States for those who want to dispose of their medication properly and avoid environmental hazards. Take-back programs allow the public to bring their unused medication to a central location or pharmacy for proper discarding. Your local pharmacy or city council can provide information on participating communities and National Prescription Drug Take Back days.

Stop Leftover Prescription Drug Abuse

If you are concerned that you or a loved one may be struggling with prescription drug addiction, the time to get help is now. Please call our toll-free helpline today to speak with a recovery counselor today. Our counselors are available 24 hours a day to provide information about prescription drug disposal, use and addiction and will be able to answer any questions you may have about abuse or addiction treatment. If you are ready to end drug use, our counselors will help you find the right treatment program today.

Understanding the Modern Pain Clinic

When managed correctly modern pain clinics serve an important role in the health care system. Some patients experience persistent debilitating pain following injury or surgery or as a result of a disease such as fibromyalgia. Pain clinics focus on treating and managing this kind of pain through medical treatment and/or alternative treatments such as chiropractic care or physical therapy. The most responsible clinics follow the following treatment rules strictly:

• They only accept patients with referrals from doctors who have exhausted their pain management expertise
• They require complete medical records including prescription records
• They diligently watch medication quantities and dismiss patients who abuse their system
• They help patients find lasting freedom from pain without medication

How Pain Clinics Contribute to Prescription Drug Abuse

Unfortunately a large number of these clinics operate as little more than drug depots that profit off of patients’ addictions. Since painkilling narcotic drugs are perfectly legal if obtained with a prescription, these centers simply sell those prescriptions to almost anyone who walks through their doors. Some addicts will sign up for treatment at multiple pain clinics, so they can stock up on the drugs. Law enforcement agencies are working to prosecute these pushers, but discerning the difference between legitimate prescription use and drug abuse is difficult.

Symptoms of Prescription Painkiller Addiction

If you have been taking prescription pain pills, you may be addicted. The following symptoms are potential indicators of an opiate addiction:

• Withdrawal symptoms such as intense pain, flu-like symptoms or anxiety set in if you don’t take pain pills regularly
• You find yourself taking more pills or taking them more frequently than prescribed
• You mix pills with other drugs or with alcohol in order to intensify the effects
• You get defensive when approached about your drug use
• You constantly think about taking pills
• You have been dishonest with friends, family members, doctors or pharmacists in order to get more pills

If left untreated addiction will ruin your health, destroy your relationships, and land you in financial and legal trouble.

End Prescription Drug Abuse

Recovery from prescription painkiller addiction is possible, but it requires professional help. Our toll-free helpline is always open, and we are here to do the following:

• Answer any questions about addiction and recovery
• Offer free insurance coverage confirmation
• Help convince a loved one to get help for addiction
• Connect you with the best recovery resources for you exact needs

Let us help you get clean and stay clean. The information we provide is completely confidential, and you have nothing to lose. Call today.

Migraine Symptoms

Migraines have strong symptoms such as the following:

• Constipation/diarrhea
• Irritability
• Neck stiffness
• Throbbing pain
• Extreme sensitivity to light or sound
• Nausea accompanied by lightheadedness
• Seeing spots, flashes of light, blurred vision or losing vision completely

These symptoms can last for days. This type of long-lasting pain leads sufferers to doctors in an attempt to find relief. Drugs prescribed for migraine pain are often addictive, and the following are some examples of drugs an individual with migraines may come across:

• Florinol: This medication is a combination of caffeine, aspirin and butalbital. Side effects of Florinol include stomach issues, nausea, vomiting and drowsiness. Butalbital is highly addictive, and if this medication is combined with alcohol or other drugs, the results can be severe.
• Benzodiazepines: Benzodiazepine drugs (benzos) are often times prescribed to those suffering from migraines because of their ability to relax muscles and stop the migraine pain. Benzos are highly addictive drugs that can be fatal when combined with alcohol.
• Percocet: Percocet contains a mixture of oxycodone and acetaminophen. This drug is highly addictive and has great potential to be misused.

Prescription drugs can help migraine sufferers find relief, but they can also lead to long-term substance abuse issues. Users often take these drugs for longer periods of time than recommended, and they may not be aware of the risks involved or of the early warning signs of addiction. When being prescribed a medication for your migraines, make sure you ask as many questions as possible about the drug and its possible effects. Learn how to identify a drug problem and how to prevent one from occurring. If you are already dependent on or addicted to a prescription drug, help is available. Talk to your doctor or addiction professionals and learn about your options for managing pain while ending drug abuse.

Manage Migraines and End Prescription Drug Abuse

Call our toll-free helpline to learn more about the connection between migraines and prescription drug abuse. We are here 24 hours a day, so please don’t hesitate to pick up the phone now. We are here to talk with you about your concerns, and we can help you find the best solutions for your current struggles.

The length and severity of the addiction also influence the duration of withdrawal symptoms. Generally the longer someone has abused a drug, the longer he will experience withdrawal symptoms. Also an addict who regularly uses large doses will suffer worse withdrawals than someone who uses smaller doses.

Duration of Opiate Withdrawal

Many recreational drug users seek out short-acting opiates such as heroin and oxycodone. These substances produce severe withdrawal symptoms that have a rapid onset and relatively short duration. Symptoms may emerge as early as eight hours after the last dose, and at least within 24 hours in most cases. Symptoms will usually peak around 36 to 48 hours, and the worst symptoms will subside after three to five days.

Long-acting opiates such as methadone and Suboxone are often used to treat opiate addiction. They produce less severe withdrawal symptoms, but they last much longer, sometimes from four to seven weeks. Once the physical withdrawal symptoms have subsided, psychological conditions such as cravings for the drug and severe depression may last for months. People who struggle with opiate addiction should seek professional help when attempting to quit.

Duration of Sedative Withdrawal

Sedatives include alcohol, barbiturates and benzodiazepines. Benzodiazepines (benzos or BZDs) are drugs such as Ambien, Klonopin and Xanax that treat insomnia, anxiety, panic attacks and seizure conditions. They have largely replaced barbiturates, and they are highly addictive. Some benzodiazepines have become popular among recreational users, but medical patients can also become addicted to these substances. All sedative/hypnotics produce withdrawal symptoms similar to those of alcoholism. Symptoms can be quite severe and can induce life-threatening seizures and thoughts of suicide.

In addition to the length and severity of addiction, the rate of detox affects the severity and duration of withdrawal. In the case of benzodiazepines, rapid detox produces the most severe withdrawal symptoms and may lead to benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome, which can cause withdrawals to persist for years. It is imperative to taper dosages gradually to avoid long-term complications with detox. Trying to quit cold turkey from benzodiazepines is a recipe for disaster and should never be done. In general, the longer and more gradual the tapering process, the less severe the withdrawal symptoms. Tapering regimens often last from 6-12 months. Patients may experience withdrawal symptoms during this time, but with proper tapering these symptoms should be tolerable.

How to Beat Withdrawal Symptoms

Call our 24 hour, toll-free helpline for information on how to detox safely. You can quit your drug addiction, and we can help.