Understanding Prescription Drug Addiction
Prescription drugs, including opioids and stimulants, can be extremely helpful for people battling pain or other medical conditions, but they can also put people in danger of becoming dependent on them.
Using prescription drugs in any other way than your doctor prescribes is considered to be misuse. It can include taking more of the drug than recommended, taking it for longer or more often than prescribed, and mixing it with other substances.
Opioids function as pain medication and include drugs like morphine, oxycodone, codeine, and hydrocodone. Opioids are commonly abused prescription drugs partly because it is easy to develop a tolerance to them, making your body need more to achieve the same effects.
Once you cannot function without the drug, you have an addiction. Some of the signs and symptoms of opioid addiction include:
- Nausea
- Constipation
- Slowed breathing rate
- Euphoria
- Confusion
- Poor coordination
- Drowsiness
- Severe pain
- Liver function problems
Another type of prescription drug that has the potential for misuse is central nervous system (CNS) depressants. These drugs help people with anxiety disorders and sleep problems, but they can also lead to addiction if not used correctly.
CNS depressants affect a chemical in your brain called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which lowers brain activity. It can make you calmer and drowsy. Some CNS depressants include benzodiazepines and barbiturates.
Signs of addiction to CNS depressants include:
- Confusion
- Drowsiness
- Memory problems
- Dizziness
- Poor concentration
- Slurred speech
- Unsteady walking
- Slowed breathing
- Mood swings
Stimulants are another type of prescription drug that people misuse often. Stimulants give your body a boost of energy, raising blood pressure, heart rate, and blood sugar. They can also open your airways, making them a treatment option for chronic asthma. Some common prescription stimulants include dextroamphetamine, methylphenidate, and lisdexamfetamine.
People who have an addiction to prescription stimulants may show symptoms like:
- Increased blood pressure
- Increased alertness
- High body temperature
- Irregular heartbeat
- Agitation
- Insomnia
- Anxiety
- Paranoia
- Reduced appetite
Several factors can affect your likelihood of developing an addiction to prescription medications. If you have a close relative with a substance use disorder or suffered a traumatic experience in the past, you may have a higher chance of developing a prescription drug addiction.
If you have an addiction to prescription medications, the best thing you can do is reach out to a prescription drug detox center to begin recovery.
Medical Prescription Drug Detox Process
Before you can begin therapy for an addiction to prescription drugs, you have to get rid of all traces of the drug from your system. This requires a prescription drug detox, which is not something that you want to go through on your own.
Stopping the use of addictive substances can cause unpleasant withdrawal symptoms that can make it more likely that you will relapse. Some severe withdrawal symptoms can even be life threatening.
Withdrawal signs and symptoms can begin just a few hours after your last dose. Your body has gotten used to functioning with prescription drugs and does not know how to stabilize itself without them. Some of the most common signs and symptoms of withdrawal during prescription drug detox include:
- Dilated pupils
- Runny nose
- Breathing problems
- Fatigue
- Vomiting
- Muscle aches
- Fever
- Severe pain
- Pallor
- Irritability
- Yawning
- Sweating
- Shakiness
- Anxiety
- Seizures
- Agitation
- Insomnia
- Overactive reflexes
- Hallucinations
- Increased blood pressure
- Increased heart rate
- Nausea
The severity of the withdrawal symptoms depends on how long you have used the drug, your health, and other factors.
To avoid severe withdrawal symptoms, including debilitating physical symptoms, turn to a prescription drug detox center. Opioid withdrawal symptoms, as well as alcohol withdrawal, can be challenging to deal with, so having a team ready to help you is important.
At Sunshine Detox and Rehab Center, we offer pain pill detox as well as other prescription drug detox services. Our medically supervised detox process can keep you safe and comfortable while you work through prescription drug withdrawal or alcohol withdrawal.
Our intake assessment helps us understand your physical symptoms and mental health levels and put together a treatment plan that suits your exact needs. We offer medical detox services to everyone struggling with prescription drug addiction.
Prescription drug detox can be frightening for many people because of the potentially severe prescription drug withdrawal symptoms. We understand that the idea of going through this can stop people from reaching out for help. Our team of compassionate providers is here to guide you through the process.
By turning to a center that offers pain pill detox as well as other prescription drug detox options, you can begin your recovery from substance abuse in a positive manner.
Begin Your Recovery Journey Today with Prescription Drug Detox
There can be severe consequences to avoiding treatment for an addiction to prescription drugs. You can quickly build a tolerance, which can lead to an overdose, and stopping cold turkey can cause severe prescription drug withdrawal symptoms that you may relapse or even suffer from medical complications.
By turning to a prescription drug detox center, you can avoid severe withdrawal symptoms. At Sunshine Detox and Rehab Center, we offer prescription drug detox services that can help you begin your recovery safely.
