Prescription Drug Addiction
- Opiate Drugs or “Narcotics”
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- Oxycodone (OxyContin, Percodan, Percocet, Tylox)
- Hydrocodone (Lortab, Lorcet, Vicodin, aka Vicodan)
- Meperidine (Demerol, Mepergan)
- Stimulant Drugs or “Uppers“
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- Methylphenidate (Ritalin)
- Amphetamine (Dexedrine, Adderall)
- Sedative-hypnotics or “Downers”
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- Diazepam (Valium)
- Alprazolam (Xanax aka Zanax)
- Lorazepam (Activan)
The prescription drug names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
Note: Some prescription drug medications are so potentially addictive, class action lawsuits have been filed regarding them.
Why Can a Prescription Drug Cause Addiction?
Addictive prescription drugs produce an artificial feeling of pleasure. If pain killing prescription drug use is stopped when no longer needed for real pain, there is less chance of the prescription drug becoming addictive to that user. This is possibly due to the non-abusing patients’ pain levels reducing some of the opioid euphoric effects. Such drugs short-circuit your survival system by artificially stimulating the pleasure areas in your brain. As this happens, it leads to increased confidence in the drug and less confidence in normal body feelings and the rewards of life. This first happens on a physical level, then like other addictive drugs, it has a psychological effect. Interest in other aspects of life decreases as reliance on the drug increases. People, places and activities involved with using these drugs become increasingly important. Conversely, lifestyles that worked through your normal reward system before using the drug begin to diminish. After awhile, a heavy prescriptive drug user, like the illicit drug user, will actually resent people, places, and activities that do not fit in with that drug use.
Signs of Prescription Drug Abuse
Prescription drug addiction can affect the young, middle-aged or elderly. Prescription drug addicted individuals may come from any walk of life, hold entry-level or high positions. They may be parents, grandparents, single or married. Often, the addiction develops without the user realizing it until the drug begins to control his or her life. Drug dependency warning signs include an individual exceeding the dosage prescribed or seeking to obtain the drug after the time prescribed by their physician.
What is Drug Craving?
Prescription drug craving is the result of the drug imprinting in the memory a pleasant association of euphoria with the drug. The subconscious memory motivates the individual to seek this drug because of the false imprint. The brain, in effect, has been trained that using the drug is the fastest way to feel good. This learning process produces a new appetite or drive to seek the drug, called craving. Drug craving is most often activated by a memory of pleasure. These memories could include a habit of using the drug when feeling bad to rapidly feel good, or a situation with people, places and activities in where a previous habit / pattern of drug use has been established.
Is There Withdrawal from Prescription Drug Use?
Yes. The symptoms, the severity and length of the withdrawal depend on the particular medication and the amount of it taken. Based on their experience treating withdrawal symptoms, our medical staff will administer medications to make the withdrawal as comfortable as possible.
Treatment for this “pain pills” addiction includes working out pain issues with the patient’s pain clinic or physician.
