Prescription Drug Addictions

An example of a person who gets addicted to drugs seen in the corner of the streets. These drug addicts are for all time 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.

If we think about it, those we call addicts came from our society who participates with it normally. 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 buy prescribed drugs in pharmacies. Yes. Prescription drugs could be as hazardous as any prohibited drugs. People 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. But, what we did not see 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. Furthermore, it is a fact that prescription drug addiction also exists in other parts of the world and not just in America.

It is quite safe to say that nobody is safe from addiction because even those who are being prescribed by professionals can get prescription addiction. On the other hand, we should identify that if taken 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 given to individuals who suffer chronic pain. Opiods do not just take away the feelings of pain but they also cause euphoria. Opioids work by binding to opioid receptors found in the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract.

Central nervous system depressants are used to take care anxiety problems, acute stress, and sleep disorders. As depressants, these drugs slow the brain’s ability to function. With long terms and large doses leading to tolerance, the body would need larger doses to achieve the “relaxing” feeling caused by the drug. Consequently, this could lead to addiction.

Stimulants, on the other hand, do the opposite of depressants. These drugs enhance brain activities, augmenting energy, awareness, and alertness, and are used to treat attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and narcolepsy. Stimulants make 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 discontinue prescribing the drug, they go “doctor shopping”, asking friends to obtain drugs for them. Now, that patient becomes an addict. Usually, elder people are the ones susceptible to prescription drug abuse. They did not will it. Unfortunately, they just tend to be prescribed with added medications than the younger ones. The major cause of the increase in the occurrence of prescription drug abuse is still unknown. However, it can never be denied that accessibility of the drug could be a contributing factor.

Treating prescription drug would vary depending on the kind of drug the patient is addicted to The needs of the person should also be taken into account. The two main courses of drug addiction treatment are behavioral and pharmacological. Behavioral treatment encourages patient to stop drug use and educate them how to function normally even without the drug. Counseling should go hand in hand so as to lead and follow up the patient for any improvement. Medication could also be of great help most especially with opioid addiction.

Any drug is not free from addiction

. To treat this addiction, one needs a good combination of behavioral and pharmacological treatment.