PRESCRIPTION DRUG ADDICTION TREATMENT

Americans receive more than 4 billion prescriptions each year, many of which include potentially addictive medications such as sleeping aids, pain pills, and muscle relaxers. While most-often medically necessary, these drugs require strict management and drug maintenance schedules to prevent addiction. At the same time, many doctors and hospitals simply don’t have the resources to offer the support and management most people need to correctly manage prescription drug intake, leading many people to become addicted.

Here, individuals become addicted through either susceptibility, self-medication outside of a prescription, or because of increasing tolerance. Even prescription users who follow the prescription can end up addicted, which will harm their health, social life, and quality of life. Getting help for prescription drug addiction means recognizing there is a problem, seeking help, going through detox, and attending treatment.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

Tolerance – Tolerance is the mechanism where the body adjusts to a certain level of a drug and it no longer has the same effect. Here, users must take more of the drug to cause the same effect, which can be difficult to resist when the drug is intended to reduce pain, help someone fall asleep, or reduce panic.

Self-Medication – Many people begin using prescription drugs and then take more of them outside of their prescription to solve the same problem. In some cases, this process continues after a prescription ends, resulting in dependence and addiction.

In some cases, individuals simply become addicted over longer term exposure to a drug, and through no fault or action of their own.

Symptoms of Prescription Drug Addiction

The precise symptoms of prescription drug addiction will change a great deal depending on the drug and its effects. However, you can look for specific symptoms relating to addiction.

Detoxing from Prescription Drugs

Prescription drug detox is the process of controlling the withdrawal process to ensure that individuals can safely get off the drug. This process is relatively simple in the case of some opioids and very complex in the case of benzodiazepines and some drugs such as Ambien, which can cause seizures and complex withdrawal.

In most cases, detox will include a tapering schedule to reduce the volume of drugs being used, a detox schedule, medical monitoring, and may include medication to reduce the severity of withdrawal symptoms.