subject: Addiction To Prescription Drugs: From Occasional Use To Abuse [print this page] Prescription medicines like central nervous system depressants, narcotic pain relievers and stimulants are habit forming. While they are typically given by doctors to treat certain diseases, anxiety and pain, a patient's health can be sacrificed because of the effects of addiction. Those who overuse these medicines at an early age are likely to develop dependency over time.
Those who are addicted to prescription medications develop tolerance to the substance and feel the need to take more of the drugs for several times to have the same effect. They also tend to keep on taking the drugs because of their fear of experiencing withdrawal symptoms. According to prescription drug abuse treatment experts, prescription drug addicts are likely to plan certain activities that center around drug use.
Withdrawal Symptoms
For prescription medicine addicts, it is not easy to quit using the medications abruptly. After a prolonged drug use, their body may have developed dependency on the substance. Whenever they don't ingest the medications as their body needs, they may go through restlessness, nausea, depression, insomnia, trembling, pain, anxiety and sweating. The risks of withdrawal need abusers to be monitored by a medical expert to ease withdrawal symptoms.
Psychological Effects
Just like any other form of drug addiction, addiction to prescription drugs affects addicts physiologically and psychologically. They may have attitude and personality changes. They are likely to experience irritability, mood swings and anger. An addict's behavior can be impacted by these symptoms which result in issues at work, school and home. Most drug abusers will experience money, legal and relationship troubles.
Recognizing the Addiction
For people who are not sure whether they are dependent on prescriptions medications, they should evaluate if they feel that they can't stop using the substance. Some drug addiction rehab center professionals say that drug abusers may also feel relaxed and calm when they continue to use the substances.
Abused Drugs
Prescription drugs like narcotics, opioids and pain-killers such as Percocet, OxyContin and Vicodin are commonly over used by clients. Benzodizepines are also abused by people who want to reduce their anxiety and stress. These include Ativan, Klonopin and Xanax. Additionally, Ritalin and Adderall are stimulants that may also be misused by sufferers.
Those who have been addicted to prescription medicines should be assessed by physicians before they stop taking the drugs. There are medications that can cause serious side effects when quit suddenly. Long term addiction can also cause medical issues over time. There are available rehabilitation centers for prescription drug addicts who want to get a remedy for their condition.
