Personalized Prescription Drug Addiction Treatment

What Are Prescription Drugs?

A prescription drug is a drug that requires a physician’s order before it can be dispensed. These drugs are designed to treat various medical conditions or mental health disorders. But while some prescription drugs are absolutely required for a patient’s well-being, others can lead to dependency or misuse.

Misuse can happen in numerous ways, including taking a prescribed medication at a higher dose or more frequently than ordered, using someone else’s prescribed medication, mixing a prescribed medication with alcohol or other substances, or taking prescribed medications for reasons other than as intended, such as relaxation, weight loss, sleep, concentration, or euphoria.

Examples of common categories of prescription drugs that may be misused include:

• Prescription opioids: This category includes pain relievers like OxyContin, Percocet, morphine, and hydrocodone, and other medications used for pain management.
• Stimulants: Adderall, Ritalin, and Concerta, which are used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), narcolepsy, and other similar conditions.
• Benzodiazepines and sedatives: Diazepam (Valium), alprazolam (Xanax), tranquilizers, and other medications that were originally used to treat anxiety, panic disorder, insomnia, muscle tension, and sleep disorders.

Prescription Drug Addiction and Abuse

Prescription drug addiction develops over time.

Most often, it happens while the person is using a medication that affects the body’s reward, stress, pain, sleep, or focus systems. Initially, there may be an obvious reason for the medication. For example, an opioid might be prescribed to relieve pain from a recent injury, a stimulant may be prescribed to help with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, or a sleeping pill may be prescribed to help with insomnia.

Over time, the body and brain start to adjust to the effects of the medication. When this happens, tolerance and physical dependence can develop. Tolerance means that even though the dosage remains constant, the same amount of medication no longer produces the same effect.[1] In turn, the person may resort to increasing the dosage to achieve the desired result. Physical dependence often follows; once a person stops taking the medication (missing a dose or lowering the dosage), withdrawal symptoms occur because the body has adapted to having the medication present.

This creates a vicious cycle that can be difficult for people to escape. People who misuse prescription medications may use them not just to treat their medical problem, but also to prevent withdrawal symptoms. They may also feel like they have to keep using them just to feel normal or start to plan their days around how much medication they have available. They may increase their dosage and start looking for additional sources of medication once their prescription is no longer enough. Many people continue to misuse prescription medications, even when they realize that the medication is creating problems in their lives. And stopping can be both physically and emotionally overwhelming.

But it is important to remember that prescription drug addiction is a substance use disorder and not a failing of a person’s character. It can affect those who were originally prescribed a legitimate prescription for a valid medical condition. It can affect people who started with a valid prescription, people who used someone else’s medication, and people who began taking prescription drugs recreationally. Ultimately, what is most important is providing those struggling with prescription drug addiction proper support before things escalate further.

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