The problem of prescription drug addiction is one that affects every class and group of people across the country. Diversion of drugs for illegal uses, fraudulent prescriptions and doctor shopping are a big part of the reason why there are strict regulations in place, the high cost of prescription medications and the difficulty with which some patients who genuinely need pain medication have such a difficulty getting what they need.

The question is: who’s responsible? Is it solely the responsibility of the person addicted to prescription painkillers? Or is it also the responsibility of the prescribing doctor? What about the manufacturer? The distributer? When there’s a tragedy associated with prescription drug addiction like a painkiller overdose, people are looking for someone to blame.

The Tide is Turning for Prescribing Doctors

It used to be that if you were caught fraudulently procuring prescriptions for OxyContin, Vicodin, Percocet or another opiate painkiller, you were the one who would face charges. If you managed to get multiple doctors to prescribe you your drug of choice and, of course, if you were caught buying pills illegally, again, you would be the one paying fines and going to jail. But if you should overdose and die on your prescription medication, for some reason, authorities are deciding that someone needs to pay—that is, more than you already have.

The consequence of this blaming trend is that fewer and fewer doctors are willing to risk it and are not always prescribing pain medication when it is needed for fear of the repercussions. Now, of course, some doctors do take advantage of their authority and, for financial gain or some other purpose, take little to no issue with freely prescribing opiate medications. The difficulty for law enforcement is to determine the difference between the doctor who is knowingly or uncaringly prescribing painkillers to addicts and the doctor who is simply providing a legal service that he or she is trained to offer to a patient who, inadvertently or not, abuses that service.

A Recent Case of Prescription Painkiller Fraud

Recently in Florida, Dr. Barnie Vanzant was restricted from prescribing controlled substances for “allegedly over-prescribing pain killers to two patients who later died,” according to Tony Britt at The Lake City Reporter.

So how do you determine how much is too much? Well, in Vanzant’s case, it was his failure to physically examine or assess the medical histories of the patients who ultimately overdosed on the drugs he prescribed. By not properly assessing and examining his patients, Vanzant did not put in the due diligence necessary to make sure that the prescriptions were correct and needed.

What Do You Think About Prescription Painkiller Overdose and Who’s To Blame?

Is it the prescribing doctor? Is it the patient who is drug seeking? And how can you tell whether the doctor is prescribing what he or she honestly believes to be the best medication at the lowest possible effective dose or if the patient is drug seeking rather than honestly in pain?

Percocet, Oxycontin, Darvocet - these drug names are becoming more and more recognizable.  Unfortunately, it’s not because more people are using them safely.  It’s because teens are trafficking them, using them, getting addicted to them in a disturbing new trend.  Drug rehab is the only reliable way to escape the grip of these powerful drugs.

Why To Teens Experiment With Drugs

First, think about why teens use drugs in the first place.  There is a lot to deal with as a teenager in this age.  Intense rushes of hormones, quick mood changes, high expectations, transition between childhood and adulthood, discovering an identity - you name it!  They push against their parents, pull back into themselves, and spend lots of time bonding with friends as opposed to hanging with their parents. 

Teens are also just beginning to feel comfortable using their brain in more abstract ways, leading to a great deal of idealism and naivete.  They are excited and curious, but have little wisdom and a mixed ability to accurately predict outcomes.   Add social influences, impulsively, curiosity, pressures to achieve, expectations from adults, and you have teens who might turn to drug experimentation. 

Drugs Calm Emotions Provide Dangerous Instant Fix

Drugs provide a near instant relief from their emotional burdens.  For all the things teens have to deal with, their brains are not fully matured until well into their twenties.  No wonder they change their mood and direction like the breeze. 

The more entrepreneurial ones may also get into drug selling, trading, and distribution.  This goes way beyond personal emotional relief into sharing the dangers of drugs with others.  The difficult thing about prescription medication is that it is relatively easy to get.  It is not an illegal substance in and of itself.  So unlike cocaine or marijuana, prescription drugs may be sitting in the bathroom cabinet at home or at a relative’s house.  They might even attempt to use illegal prescriptions or steal the drugs to get them. 

Prescription drugs are opiates, especially dangerous because of their highly addictive nature.  A teen may try alcohol or marijuana on a strictly experimental level and not get addicted.  Problems may still happen, but they might still get by without addiction.  A person doesn’t have to use prescription drugs very long to develop cravings and a strong psychological attachment. 

Teens With Addiction Need Drug Rehab

For a teen who’s developed an addiction to prescription drugs, professional drug rehab is a must.  There’s no question that opiates are very difficult to withdraw from safely and comfortably, even with help.  This is no time for a home remedy because the relapse risk is too high. 

A person addicted to drugs will move heaven and earth to get what they need.  This might include running away, stealing money, damaging property or worse.  A teen with addiction is much safer and more likely to get clean at a drug treatment center. 

Prescription Drug Addiction

If you’re like most people, you probably don’t even attempt to decipher the warning labels that come with a prescription or medicine bottle. But if you’re a recovering addict, you need to pay close attention to what you’re taking so you won’t be caught unaware. The hard work of rehab and the progress of recovery could be at risk depending on the medications your doctor prescribes.

Know What You’re Taking

Whether it’s a cough syrup for bronchitis, a pain killer for an injury, or a pill for insomnia, inform your doctor and pharmacist of your history with addictive substances before taking anything. If it’s a drug you’ve never heard of before, look it up. Most prescriptions are filled with generic equivalents that have different names than what you might have come to recognize.

Consider the Side Effects

According to a News Inferno article from July 2008, “a recent Canadian and American study found that people taking dopamine agonist drugs…which help control movement problems, were two-to-three times more likely to have at least one of four common impulse control disorders: Pathological gambling, compulsive buying, compulsive sexual behavior, and binge eating.”

Take five minutes to read those patient info cards that come with your medicine. Educating yourself about potential side effects might mean the difference between life and death. (Yes, there are medications that list death as a side effect.) Ask yourself how far you are willing to go in order to find pharmaceutical relief.

Get A Second Opinion

What if you have to see a specialist who doesn’t know your medical history or an emergency room doctor prescribes something you’re not sure about? If there’s any hesitation, for any reason, make an appointment with your regular doctor and explain your concerns again. Ask for an alternative medication if necessary and stand your ground if you’re concerns are not taken seriously.

You are the only one who has final say over your health and emotional well-being and you’ve worked so hard to get where you’re at. Don’t let a little pill knock you off the wagon.

Prescription Painkillers Versus Chronic Pain

This is a huge debate and one that has no answer as far as I can tell. It’s such a personal struggle when you’re stuck between debilitating physical pain and an equally debilitating prescription drug addiction. Is this a struggle for you? How do you make it work?

Percocet and Dual Diagnosis Double Trouble      Your Percocet addiction started in the most innocent way.  After surgery for your car accident, you had a lot of pain.  Your doctor prescribed Percocet to help you out.  After a short while, true pain relief was hard to come by, despite taking an ever increasing amount of pills.  Before long, the sensations you got from the Percocet felt better than your real life.  You developed a Percocet addiction.  How did it all go so wrong? 

Facts About Percocet

Percocet is a blend of acetaminophen (Tylenol) and a powerful narcotic called oxycodone.  Used properly, this can give pain a solid one-two punch.  Oxycodone also has the dangerous effects of other opiate-based drugs.  It is quickly addictive, has a powerful effect, and can do serious damage to a person’s life regardless of age, money, or status. 

Percocet is uniquely formulated to be time released.  This helps it to effectively relieve chronic pain when used correctly.  Crushing or splitting Percocet pills can release way too much medication at once, resulting in an overdose.  When Percocet is abused or part of an addiction, the person is probably seeking a bigger and stronger reaction from the drugs all the time.  They could be tempted try this dangerous method, putting themselves at risk for a deadly overdose.

Alcohol and Percocet Dangerous Mix

Also, drinking alcohol while taking Percocet can seriously sedate your whole body.  Alcohol mixed with opiate-based narcoticscan easily put someone in the hospital, or even prove to be a deadly combination.  Even if a person doesn’t seem to “feel” much different with the Percocet and alcohol, it can do real damage to a person’s liver.  In fact, just the acetaminophen and alcohol (not even counting the narcotic) is bad for your liver.  You can imagine what a person’s body goes through when they have a Percocet addiction, consuming a huge number of pills beyond the prescribed amount. 

Percocet Addiction Treatment

Percocet addiction treatment is best done with the complete service of opiate detox, the full opiate addiction treatment process, and drug rehab aftercare.  The Canyon provides all three services, each one vital to the process of addiction recovery.  It is especially important to have detox from prescription pain meds closely monitored by professionals.  Prescription drug detox can be painful and even create a medical emergency if things don’t go well.

Prescription drug addiction can affect people from nearly any walk of life and start out in unseeming ways.  What’s been your experience with Percocet addiction?  How long did it take for your regular dose become something more out of control?

 photo credit: wonker

An addiction to prescription drugs can feel like it comes from out of nowhere.  At one point, you are managing pain from a car accident.  A few months later, you are using three times your usual dose and seeing multiple doctors just to keep up with your ever growing need for pills.  How did your life turn upside down so quickly?  Prescription drug addiction is more common and easier to fall into than many people think.

Common Addictive Prescription Drugs

Prescription drugs that tend to be addictive come in three basic forms.  Central Nervous System (CNS) depressants slow the nervous system down.  These include drugs like Xanax, Valium, and Nembutal (for insomnia).  CNS stimulants include Ritalin and Dexadrine, which have an amphetamine base.  Narcotic analgesics are used to treat severe pain, also making you sleepy and slowing down the respiratory system.  Some commonly used drugs include Vicodin and Oxycontin. 

How Prescription Drug Addiction Can Develop

The prescription drugs described above are quickly addictive and can cause a medical emergency if the drugs are stopped suddenly without medical supervision.  Often times, a prescription drug addiction occurs because there is no specific “exit plan” for getting off the medication or the doctor’s instructions aren’t followed exactly. 

This kind of addiction can strike down stay-at-home moms recovering from a car accident, highly achieving executives with attention problems, or energetic productive citizens recovering from painful surgery.  Not every person who is prescribed painkillers or stimulants becomes addicted.  However, the potential is there each and every time someone takes these medications in a way that is risky.

Risk Factors for Prescription Drug Addiction

This is a list of possible risk factors for developing a prescription drug addiction.  Notice that anything over-stretching a person’s coping skills, health, or abilities puts them at risk.

Not following doctor’s medication directions exactly
Depression or bipolar disorder
High level of stress, chronic stress
Poor economic conditions
Chronic fatigue/overworked
Poor self esteem, poor social support
Daily use of alcohol
Family or personal history of addiction
Poor health (easy access)
Addictive personality (low self control, high aggression, high risk taking, socially difficult)
Requiring greater and greater doses to feel original pain relief

Prescription Drug Addiction and Dual Diagnosis

Prescription drugs can be highly addictive, especially dangerous when give for mental illness symptoms such as anxiety.  Xanax is such a drug, often prescribed to help people manage severe anxiety.  When abused, Xanax can produce painful harsh withdrawal symptoms and make an anxiety condition worse.  This becomes a vicious cycle - using more drugs to help the anxiety, using more drugs to avoid the awful withdrawal process. 

Prescription Drug Addiction Treatment and Recovery

The Canyon is well equipped to treat individuals with prescription drug addictions.  Few treatment centers offer highly trained professionals prepared to deal with a variety of mental illnesses as well as challenging drug and alcohol addictions.  A person needing prescription drug treatment is especially urged to seek a facility capable of supervising the difficult and medically risky detox process.  The Canyon specializes in a full range of prescription drug rehab services including drug detox, drug addiction treatment, and drug addiction aftercare.  The blog for Meditox of Palm Beach also has a great deal of information about prescription drug addiction. 

Your Reaction and Experience

Have you ever fallen into an addiction with prescription painkillers or medication for mental disorders?  How quickly did your addiction develop?  It’s so easy for prescription medication to start out as a helpful tool and end up a dangerous addiction - I’m interested to hear your story.

In my last post, we started a discussion about the signs and symptoms of drug addiction and focused on marijuana addiction in particular. Continuing with our look at the signs and symptoms of abuse of and addiction to various substances, today we turn out sights to prescription drugs and, specifically, central nervous system depressants.

Prescription drug addiction is insidious in nature due to the introduction most people experience. A simple prescription from their family doctor for anxiety or to help them sleep and soon, without realizing it, they are suffering from a prescription drug addiction. Barbiturates and benzodiazepines are both central nervous system depressants. The most commonly prescribed barbiturates include Phenobarbital, amobarbital (Amytal) and secobarbital (Seconal). Even more dangerous are benzodiazepines, especially tranquilizers like diazepam (Valium), alprazolam (Xanax), lorazepam (Ativan), and clonazepam (Klonopin).

The signs and symptoms of prescription drug addiction to tranquilizers, benzos and barbiturates include:

Drowsiness and slurred speech. A side effect of using these medications, when used correctly, it usually fades. However, in addiction, a tolerance to the drug develops and more and more of the drug is taken in order to experience the initial euphoric high. This tolerance signifies a physical dependence on the drug and the increased dosage can be evidenced through the drowsiness and slurred speech.

Lack of coordination and dizziness. Just like the drowsiness, a lack of motor skills similarly shows a steady increase in dosage of medication over time and can denote addiction to the drug.

Memory impairment and confusion. Long-term use of powerful tranquilizers and barbiturates not only impairs short-term memory and cognitive function while under the influence of the pills but also affects these same parts of the brain long after the user stops taking the drug. Overdose and brain damage from long-term use may not be reversible.

Slowed breathing and decreased blood pressure. Central nervous system depressants not only slow down your motor skills and brain function but they also significantly decrease your rate of breath and blood pressure. Long-term use can cause respiratory issues even when the user is no longer taking their prescription.

Depression. Drug addiction is sometimes a symptom of depression, but depression is always a symptom of drug addiction. These drugs depress the nervous system, physical and cognitive function and the spirit. Even though the drugs originally provide a euphoric high, they eventually provide no high whatsoever and throw the user into a deep and constant depression.

If you or someone you love is addicted to central nervous system depressants, you can get help at The Canyon. With a comprehensive treatment program, it is possible to detox completely off of your prescription with minimal withdrawal symptoms and then stabilize in treatment before transitioning back home.

What was the hardest part of breaking your addiction to central nervous system depressants?