Prescription Drug Addictions
A prototype of a drug addict would probably be someone 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.
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 pay for prescribed drugs in pharmacies. Yes. Prescription drugs could be as dangerous as any banned drugs. People who buy drugs at the pharmacy might 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 function when it is prescribed by the doctor to the patient in order to treat any health-related problems. Other than that, what we did not perceive coming was that these prescription drugs have the probability to cause 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.
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 ought to distinguish 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.
Opioids, depressants, and stimulants are the three types of commonly abused prescription drugs. This is according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Opioids are prescribed to relieve sever pain usually after surgery. But besides alleviating pain, these drugs could also cause feelings of euphoria. This substance works by binding to opioid receptors found in the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract.
Depressants are used to treat anxiety problems, acute stress, and sleep disorders. As depressants, they make the brain to function slowly. With long terms and large doses leading to tolerance, the body would need larger doses to achieve the “relaxing” feeling caused by the drug. These results to addiction.
On the other hand, stimulants are the opposites 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.
One is diagnosed to be addicted to the drug when one needs larger amount of a drug to produce the same effects. Most likely, when their physicians discontinue prescribing the drug, they go “doctor shopping”, asking friends to get hold of drugs for them. This leads the patient to addiction. Usually, elder people are the ones susceptible to prescription drug abuse. They did not will it. Unfortunately, they just tend to be prescribed with more medications than the younger ones. The major cause of the increase in the incidence of prescription drug abuse is still unknown. However, it can never be denied that accessibility of the drug could be a causative factor.
Top treat prescription drug addiction will depend upon the substance being addicted to The needs of the person should also be taken into account. Behavioral and pharmacological are the two main courses of drug addiction. Behavioral treatment supports 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 and follow up the patient for any progress. 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.
