Seeking Help for Prescription Drug Withdrawal
Seeking Help for Prescription Drug Withdrawal
Prescription medication is widely available in the United States and can be found at all levels of society. Many people use these drugs without complications; however, others abuse the drugs and develop an addiction. One sign of this is the prescription drug withdrawal symptoms that manifest when the drug is withheld. One of the biggest issues when understanding the abuse of these opiate-based drugs is knowing how much they are also needed for various remedies in medical treatment.
One of the biggest issues when understanding the abuse of opiate-based drugs is knowing how much they are also needed for various remedies in medical treatment. This creates an unusual paradox with prescription medication abuse. These drugs can be highly dangerous, and yet they are legal and easily available.
The common scenario that allows these types of drugs into the hands of users who are not prescribed or in need of them deals with theft and lies. There are a high number of instances where geriatric patients are robbed by either strangers, family, or friends for their prescription medicines. The same elderly are also capable of selling them. The other method that legal opiate-based medications reach those who abuse them is through doctors.
When people are prescribed these types of addictive drugs, it is because of a justified need initially confirmed by a qualified physician. Because these doctors must inquire to their patient as to the level of pain they are in, it becomes challenging to decipher who is in need and who is feeding an addiction. Additionally, doctors who prescribe these meds have also been found to be at fault and have lost their privileges to practice medicine as a result.
The Dangers of Prescription Drug Withdrawal
This devastating challenge is the primary reason why many who become addicted to opiates or severe amounts of prescribed medications often do not seek the proper help and have the most terrible effects on family, career, friends, home ownership, and personal appearance.
It is not necessarily the person’s inability to cope or kick the habit, it is usually the fear of withdrawal that leads them to avoid taking proper steps to quitting and staying clean.
Some of the standard symptoms that an opiate user will experience are so severe that they instill fear. It is not only painful but prior to making the decision to quit, it is highly apprehensive.
- Muscle twitches
- Bone pains
- Nausea and vomiting
- Dramatic mood swings
- Diarrhea
- Tremendous exhaustion
- Deep cravings for the drug of choice
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- What is called “cold turkey“
“Cold turkey” is a case where a person in the midst of a prescription drug withdrawal phase will experience random occurrences and appearances of goosebumps.
Who is Susceptible to Prescription Drug Withdrawal?
Like most addictions, the abuse of prescription medications is not a sign of the weakness of a person’s willpower. Many do try to quit themselves, but once addicted, the drug alters the body’s physiology directly. Opiate-based substances themselves alter the brain’s function and is repeatedly called a brain disease. The addiction itself is an actual disease, but opiates have a special effect on the brain and its function.
These types of medications enter the brain and trigger what is known as the reward sensors. These sensors are how the human brain decides what is beneficial to life and what is not. They associate good experiences with the need and achievement of survival. By triggering these sensors to produce and release positive chemicals while under its influence, the function of the brain is altered to believe that the consumption of these medications taken is what is good or applicable for survival.
As years of use can influence how affected the brain becomes to certain stimuli, it can take years to retrain the brain to associate the same positive reward stimulation with being sober.
Acknowledging the disposition of someone dependent on legally prescribed medications is very important and will likely require a serious intervention. Remember, it is not a sign of weakness for the user as the brain has been retrained in its survival functions. What this will cause in those addicted to pain medications and the likes is a complete misunderstanding that the substance and its dependency is causing harm.
Do You Know When It’s Time to Seek Help?
The brain is associating the use of these medications with positive feelings and rewards and therefore, the user is subjected to truly believing that they are not bad. In a common scenario, the user will blame others for the dysfunction in their lives and not the drug that actually caused it. Those with complete impressions by these medications are convinced and usually do not see the nature of their use, its negative effects, or why they have developed a dependency on it.
When intervention does take place, an inpatient approach is best. In this type of care, experienced people who care and understand the nature of what substances will be able to treat and advocate for a real recovery. The recovery with opiate-based prescription medications is among the most challenging to achieve and will require the aid of professionals to help a user accomplish their stability.
