Prescription Pill Abuse a Growing Problem

Prescription pill abuse is increasing in the U.S., and it often leads to addiction and dependence.

The Most Commonly Abused Prescription Medications

The three types of prescription pills most commonly abuse are opioid painkillers, benzodiazepines, and prescription stimulants.

Opioid Painkillers

More than two million Americans are addicted to opioid painkillers, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Commonly abused opioids include OxyContin, Vicodin, and Fentanyl.

The opioid epidemic currently claims 115 lives every day in the U.S., driven largely by prescription painkillers. According to prescription pill abuse statistics, the number of opioid-related deaths has more than quadrupled since 1999, and prescription opioid abuse continues to increase each year.

Benzodiazepines

Benzodiazepines are a class of central nervous system sedatives, or depressants, that are prescribed for anxiety and panic disorders. These include drugs like Klonopin, Xanax, and Valium. Benzodiazepine abuse is dangerous, but it’s particularly so when benzos are taken along with alcohol, which slows respiration and heart rate and can be fatal.

Stimulants

Central nervous system stimulants like Adderall and Ritalin speed up the central nervous system to increase attention and focus in people with ADHD. Many young people believe that these medications improve academic or athletic performance, although prescription pill abuse statistics show that people without ADHD who take these medications without a prescription perform no better than their non-abusing counterparts.

Prescription Pill Abuse Symptoms

Using prescription pills non-medically to get high or taking them in larger doses than prescribed are the most important prescription pill abuse symptoms. Prescription pill abuse can lead to addiction, which requires professional help to overcome.

Prescription pill addiction is characterized by compulsively using prescription pills even though doing so causes problems in your life. Other important signs and symptoms of prescription addiction include:

• Taking larger doses or using for a longer period of time than you intended.
• Finding that even if you want or try to quit, you can’t.
• Experiencing cravings for prescription pills.
• Neglecting duties at work, home, or school due to prescription pill abuse.
• Continuing to use prescription pills even though they’re causing problems in your life, including relationship, financial, legal, or medical problems.
• Losing interest in activities you used to enjoy.

Once an addiction sets in, professional help is almost always needed to end the addiction, which is complex and involves a variety of underlying issues.

Ending Prescription Pill Abuse and Addiction

Whether you’re concerned that your prescription pill abuse will lead to addiction or you’re already addiction, a high quality treatment program can help you end your prescription drug abuse once and for all. A holistic treatment program helps you address a variety of issues that led to the abuse in the first place, and it helps you restore your life after prescription pills have done damage to your relationships, finances, or physical or mental health.

Through a variety of traditional and complementary therapies, individuals in abuse or addiction treatment identify and replace harmful thought and behavior patterns, address complex underlying issues, and develop essential coping skills for handling stress, cravings, and other triggers. Additionally, treatment helps people find purpose and meaning in a life without drugs and helps them learn to have fun and relax without needing prescription medications to do it.

If you’re suffering from prescription pill abuse or addiction, Better Addiction Care can help you find a high quality rehab program to help you recover for the long-haul while improving your life on many fronts. Call us today at (800) 429-7690.