Prescription drug abuse occurs when a person takes a prescription drug in a way that’s not prescribed by a medical doctor. This may include taking a family member’s prescription painkiller for a backache or injecting ground-up medication to become high. The most abused prescription drugs are opioid painkillers, sedatives, stimulants, and anti-anxiety medications. Identifying prescription drug abuse early may prevent the problem from becoming an addiction.
How Using the Most Abused Prescription Drugs Can Lead to Addiction
Doctors prescribe opioids to manage pain. Drugs in this category contain oxycodone and include medications like Percocet and Oxycontin. Hydrocodone is another opioid, and medications like Norco containing this substance. Doctors prescribe sedatives and anti-anxiety medications to treat sleep problems and anxiety issues. They use Alprazolam (Xanax) and diazepam (Valium), along with zolpidem (Ambien) to treat these problems.
Doctors prescribe stimulants to treat hyperactivity disorders, some sleep problems, and attention-deficit issues. The particular drugs prescribed to treat these issues include methylphenidate, which includes medications like Ritalin and Concerta, dextroamphetamine, which is Adderall XR, and amphetamine, which is Mydayis.
Signs of Harmful Dependence
The physical signs of prescription drug abuse differ based on the type of drug that you or someone you love is abusing. For instance, opioids cause constipation, nausea, and drowsiness. They may also cause a higher sensitivity to pain and confusion. Sedative and anti-anxiety medication abuse causes people to experience memory issues, poor concentration, and slurred speech. If you become addicted to stimulants, the physical signs of abuse are increased alertness, agitation, and anxiety.
Along with affecting you physically, prescription drug abuse may cause you to act in ways that are typically negative. People who abuse prescription drugs may begin stealing or selling prescriptions. They may take a higher dose than the amount prescribed by their physician and appear to be unusually excited or sedated. Prescription drug abuse may cause you to sleep more or less than normal. You may not be able to make good decisions, and you may be more hostile than normal. Excessive mood swings are a sign of drug abuse as is seeking medications from more than one doctor.
What Attracts People to Prescription Drugs?
People abuse prescription drugs because they want to feel good or get high. You may abuse them because you need help relaxing or relieving tension. Other reasons include wanting to decrease your appetite or to feel more alert. You may have an experimental personality that tempts you to try drugs to see how you feel under their influence. You may abuse prescription drugs to avoid physical or mental pain. This results in needing to stay high to prevent the pain from returning. Adults and teens take prescription drugs for social reasons or for peer acceptance. You may also take them for greater concentration to improve your academic or work performance. Any of these situations may require substance abuse treatment to help you overcome the abuse.
If you have a past or current addiction to other substances like alcohol or tobacco, then your risk of developing an addiction to prescription drugs is higher. A family history of drug abuse problems is another risk factor. So is being exposed to them by family members or peers. A lack of understanding as to how drugs can affect you puts you at risk for abusing them. There are also some psychiatric conditions that could make you more susceptible.
Getting Help
At Sunflower Wellness Retreat, we are a small facility that offers all levels of substance abuse treatment. Our clients work with each of our counselors for comprehensive care. To treat those who are suffering from a prescription drug addiction, we offer cognitive-behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, fitness therapy, and mindfulness therapy. We focus on different group sizes, and we work with people one on one. Our facility is a boutique operation that features a retreat-like environment. If you or someone in your life is experiencing an addiction, know that you can overcome it with help from a top-notch drug rehab facility like ours. Call us at 855.730.8825 to start your recovery today.
