Prescription Drug Addictions

December 17th, 2009

An example of a person who gets addicted to drugs seen in the corner of the streets. They are always looking cautiously around, doing anxiety-related behaviors, yet very discrete with these behaviors. Usually, these people are avoided by passersby and are looked at by society with judgmental eyes. These addicts secretly acquire the drugs from a dealer in a rendezvous.

However, if we come to realize, addicts also come from those who normally participates in the cycle of society. These addicts that we so called could be your own babysitter, the newspaperman, the bagel man, or even taxi driver who drives you everyday to work. Like almost everyone, these people are those who pay for prescribed drugs in pharmacies. Yes. Prescription drugs could be as hazardous as any banned drugs. Individuals who buy drugs at the pharmacy can be as addicted to certain drugs as to those who discretely buy illegal drugs from drug dealers in the corners of every street.

Prescription drug serves its purpose when it is prescribed by the doctor to the patient in order to take care of any health-related problems. Other than that, what we did not observe coming was that these prescription drugs have the potential to be a reason of dependency and addiction. Last 2007, Americans who abused prescription drugs has reached 7 million. In addition, it has been known that prescription drug addiction do not only exist in America but also in other parts of the world.

We might think that nobody is safe from addiction, even someone who has been prescribed with a drug by a medical professional. On the other hand, we should recognize that if used properly, these drugs need not be addictive. It is when we take more than what is prescribed that we are more likely to be a candidate for prescription drug addiction.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, there are three types of commonly abused prescription drugs. These are opioids, depressants, and stimulants.

Opioids are prescribed to relieve sever pain usually after surgery. Opiods do not just take away the feelings of pain but they also cause euphoria. This substance works by binding to opioid receptors found in the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract.

Depressants are used to take care anxiety problems, acute stress, and sleep disorders. As depressants, these drugs slow the brain’s ability to function. Long terms and large doses of depressants could lead to tolerance and thus, the body would need larger doses to achieve the “relaxing” feeling being brought by the drug. These results to addiction.

Stimulants, on the other hand, do the opposite of depressants. These drugs increase brain activities, augmenting energy, awareness, and alertness, and are used to treat attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and narcolepsy. Stimulants cause the heart rate to increase as well as respiration which can be interpreted by the user as euphoria.

An individual is said to be an addict to the drug when he or she needs larger amount of the drug to attain certain effects. Most often, when their physicians stop prescribing the drug, they go “doctor shopping”, asking friends to get drugs for them. Now, that patient becomes an addict. Most of the time, elder people are the ones vulnerable to prescription drug abuse. They did not will it. Unfortunately, they just tend to be prescribed with more medications than the younger ones. The main cause of the increase in the incidence of prescription drug abuse is still not known. However, it can never be denied that accessibility of the drug could be a causal factor.

Top treat prescription drug addiction will depend upon the substance being addicted to The needs of the individual should also be taken into account. The two main courses of drug addiction treatment are behavioral and pharmacological. Behavioral treatment encourages patient to discontinue drug use and educate them how to function normally even without the drug. Counseling should go hand in hand so as to show and follow up the patient for any progress. Medication could also be of great help most especially with opioid addiction.

There is no drug that is free from addiction. To treat this addiction, one needs a good combination of behavioral and pharmacological treatment.

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