An example of a person who gets addicted to drugs seen in the corner of the streets. These drug addicts are for all time 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. It is a common fact that the acquiring of drugs are done secretly.
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 purchase prescribed drugs in pharmacies. Yes. Prescription drugs could be as hazardous as any illegal drugs. Individuals 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 purpose when it is prescribed by the doctor to the patient in order to treat any health-related problems. Except, what we did not perceive coming was that these prescription drugs have the probability to be a reason of 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 should distinguish that if used 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.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, there are three types of commonly abused prescription drugs. These are opioids, depressants, and stimulants.
Opioids are prescribed to relieve sever pain usually after surgery. Opiods do not just take away the feelings of pain but they also cause euphoria. Opioids work by binding to opioid receptors found in the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract.
Central nervous system depressants are used to treat anxiety problems, acute stress, and sleep disorders. As depressants, they make the brain to function slowly. Long terms and large doses of depressants could lead to tolerance and thus, the body would need larger doses to reach the “relaxing” feeling being brought by the drug. Consequently, this could lead to addiction.
On the other hand, stimulants are the opposites of depressants. These drugs improve brain activities, increasing energy, awareness, and alertness, and are used to treat attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and narcolepsy. Stimulants make 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 often, when their physicians stop prescribing the drug, they go “doctor shopping”, asking friends to obtain drugs for them. Now, that patient becomes an addict. Usually, elder people are the ones vulnerable to prescription drug abuse. They did not will it. Regrettably, they just tend to be prescribed with more medications than the younger ones. The main cause of the increase in the incidence of prescription drug abuse is still unknown. However, it cannot be denied that accessibility of the drug could be a contributing factor.
Treating prescription drug would vary depending on the kind of drug the patient is addicted to The needs of the individual should also be taken into account. Behavioral and pharmacological are the two main courses of drug addiction. Behavioral treatment encourages patient to discontinue drug use and teach them how to function normally even without the drug. Counseling should go hand in hand so as to lead and follow up the patient for any development. Medication could also be of great help most especially with opioid addiction.
There is no drug that is free from addiction. A combination of behavioral and pharmacological treatment is a good approach to treat prescription addiction.
