|
America has a new problem on its hands – prescription drug abuse. It is already a constant struggle to prevent the use of illegal drugs. Now, there is another battle to fight against the abuse of prescription drugs. With the rise of prescription drug addiction among young adults and the elderly, this battle is becoming more difficult to win. These people are taking drugs prescribed by doctors and misusing them. They are not taking them to treat illnesses or they are not taking the drugs in the correct dosage. The young adults are ingesting prescription drugs to achieve an altered mental state. The elderly are simply not following the directions given to them by doctors and pharmacists. Because of these facts, prescription drug addiction is rising steadily.
Prescription drugs are much easier to obtain. They are legal and doctors conveniently prescribe them. Nevertheless, they are still drugs. When taken incorrectly, these drugs can cause addictive behaviors and ill health effects in the same way that illegal drugs can. Many people who suffer from prescription drug addiction find numerous ways to abuse the drugs without getting caught by their primary physician and pharmacist. They may visit several doctors and rotate prescriptions between them. They might alter a written prescription form or create a fake prescription document. They may also attempt to get refills at numerous pharmacies. Other methods include ordering prescriptions via the Internet, stealing medicines from a clinic or hospital, or simply purchasing prescription medications from friends (a popular choice among young adults).
Elderly people are likely to suffer from prescription drug addiction for several reasons. First, the elderly are three times more likely to be taking prescription medications. This group of people suffers from common ailments due to aging, making prescription medications more common in overall use. One factor that increases their risk of prescription drug addiction is the improperly prescribed high dosages of the medications. Elderly people metabolize drugs at a much quicker rate than younger people do. Doctors often forget this fact and prescribe doses higher than the patient needs. Another factor that plays a role in prescription drug addiction among the elderly is low compliance with the instructions included with the medicines. They may take more than the instructions suggest, because they feel the medicine is not working quickly enough or they forget when they last took the medication.
Teens and young adults fall prey to prescription drug addiction for different reasons. These people use prescription drugs to obtain an altered state of mind. Often they want to achieve a state of happiness to battle depression. They may want to achieve some type of mental high, but feel that it is less risky than using illicit drugs. College students often take certain medications to endure long hours of studying. However, there is a strong correlation between the abuse of prescription medication and illicit drug use. Teens and young adults who misuse prescription drugs are much more likely to experiment with illegal drugs according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
People do not realize that prescription drug abuse is a real problem with real symptoms such as dependency, addiction, and withdrawal signs. Addicts are to rehab centers and undergo many of the same treatments that illegal drug users undergo. When experiencing withdrawal, patients suffer from violent shaking, vomiting, hallucinations, anxiety, depression, muscle cramps, etc… Patients are first detoxified under close supervision to help them go through withdrawal. Trying to quit drugs of any type without medical intervention is very dangerous and can result in death due to the effects of withdrawal. Therefore, doctors and nurses are on-site to help the patients go through the process with as little pain as possible.
Next, patients receive treatment. There are two types – behavioral and pharmacological. Behavioral therapy teaches people suffering from prescription drug addiction to change their actions. They learn how to live without drugs and avoid situations that directly or indirectly encourage drug use. They also attend individual, family, or group counseling. Pharmacological therapy treats prescription drug use with medications. However, it is done under extremely close supervision. These medicines relieve withdrawal symptoms, treat overdosing, assist with overcoming cravings, or wean the patient off the addictive drug in a gradual manner. Most rehab centers treat patients by combining both methods. This seems to have the best results when it comes to recovery.
Prescription drug addiction is a tough battle to fight, but it can be beaten. To find out more information about prescription drug addiction, visit
http://www.nida.nih.gov/ResearchReports/Prescription/Prescription.html.
|
