A prototype of a drug addict would probably be someone seen in the corner of the streets. They 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. These addicts secretly acquire the drugs from a dealer in a rendezvous.
If we think about it, those we call addicts came from our society who participates with it normally. These people 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 pay for prescribed drugs in pharmacies. Yes. Prescription drugs could be as hazardous as any illegal drugs. Individuals who buy drugs at the pharmacy could 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 provides its purpose when it is prescribed by the doctor to the patient in order to take care of any health-related problems. Other than that, what we did not see coming was that these prescription drugs have the potential to be a reason of dependency and addiction. Last 2007, Americans who abused prescription drugs has reached 7 million. Furthermore, it has been known that prescription drug addiction do not only exist in America but also in other parts of the world.
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 ought to identify that if taken 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 given to individuals who suffer chronic pain. But besides alleviating pain, these drugs could also cause feelings of 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 take care anxiety problems, acute stress, and sleep disorders. As depressants, they make the brain to function slowly. With long terms and large doses leading to tolerance, the body would need larger doses to reach the “relaxing” feeling caused by the drug. These results 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 likely, when their physicians discontinue prescribing the drug, they go “doctor shopping”, asking friends to get drugs for them. Now, that patient becomes an addict. Usually, elder people are the ones susceptible to prescription drug abuse. They did not will it. Unfortunately, they just have a tendency to be prescribed with added medications than the younger ones. The chief cause of the increase in the incidence of prescription drug abuse is still not known. 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 person should also be taken into account. Behavioral and pharmacological are the two main courses of drug addiction. Behavioral treatment supports patient to end drug use and teach them how to function normally even without the drug. Counseling should go hand in hand so as to and follow up the patient for any progress. Medication could also be of great help most especially with opioid addiction.
Any drug is not free from addiction
. A combination of behavioral and pharmacological treatment is a good approach to treat prescription addiction.
