Consequences Of Drug Abuse

by Leave a Comment

Drug abuse is something which needs to be treated very seriously. Drugs are generally used by people to overcome various problems in life and also to feel happy and relaxed. Some drugs make the person calmer, and some other will help them to be overjoyed. But continuous use of these harmful substances can lead to many serious illnesses both physical as well as mental. Drug abuse will affect not only the individual who is addicted to drugs bout also his family and also his society. Depending on the drug used, the drug abuse effect will also vary accordingly.

The main and worst drug abuse effect is the damage in the functioning of the brain. Many dreadful problems like mood fluctuations, hallucinations, change in the sleeping and waking up time and pattern are some of the consequences of drug abuse. These affect the individual so badly that, he will face problem in taking decisions. Such people will also have a problem with memory also.

Some of the common physical problems due to drug abuse are respiratory problems, lack of appetite, fluctuations in the heart beats or lack of sleep. The relationships of such people with friends and other relatives will be badly affected. Nobody will be there to support drug abused people and they might have to lead a lonely life. This can badly affect the individual’s family life also.

Thinking from the career perspective, employees who are drug addicts will not be able to concentrate on their work and will miss many promotions. Once the company comes to know that their employee is a drug abuse, then the company will throw the employee out and he will have a big loss.

Filed Under: Relapses Tagged With: , ,

Symptoms of Vicodin Addiction

by Leave a Comment

You don’t have to be a celebrity to suffer from Vicodin addiction; you just have to use too much, too often, or both. A dependency upon it can sneak up on a patient before he or she realizes.

Vicodin is a prescribed painkiller. Because it makes a patient feel better, the risk of taking more to feel even better exists. The more taken, the less the effect; therefore, even more is taken. Those are the first symptoms of dependence.

While the addiction to Vicodin can sneak up on a patient, there usually comes a time when the patient starts to realize they may have a problem. Abusing the medication may seem harmless and only temporary.

After the patient realizes that he is running out of the medication before a refill is due, he may start seeing other doctors to get more of the drug. He may even turn to other sources to buy the Vicodin illegally.

Mental Symptoms of Vicodin Addiction

Continual use of the pain reliever will lead to other symptoms such as hiding its use, feeling guilty about taking so much, mood and behavioral changes, confusion and failing memory.

The patient may become reclusive and antisocial. Often this is to avoid being around other people for fear they may discover the abuse. Other times it is just because the drug use has them feeling depressed or lethargic.

Physical Symptoms of Vicodin Addiction

These can include irregular heartbeat, dizziness, insomnia and constipation. Hallucinations may occur. Night sweats and muscular aches may develop.

Eventually, the patient will not be capable of controlling body functions. If this continues, it could result in coma or even death. Treatment is critical at this point.

Getting Treatment for Dependency

The first place to go for treatment is back to the same doctor who prescribed the Vicodin. Be honest and explain the situation. If that is not an option, there are usually local organizations that can help; either directly or by directing you to help.

Filed Under: Addiction As A Disease Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Signs of Prescription Drug Abuse

by Leave a Comment

Is a family member or another loved one addicted or abusing prescription medication? While the majority of people take prescription medications according to the directions and for the reasons intended, about 20 percent of the population has taken them for non-medical situations. Recently there has been a huge rise in the abuse of prescription drugs. This increase also resulted in corresponding increases in visits to the emergency room as well as an increase of admissions to rehab and treatment programs.

Addiction is considered to be a chronic disease of the brain and can cause harmful consequences for both the addict and those around him or her. Prescription drug abuse can change the function of the brain. This change can result in changes in a person’s behavior as well as creating self-control issues.

The most commonly abused prescription drugs are pain medication, depressants and stimulates. A common question is why some people are more easily addicted to drugs than others.

The answer is not simple, but it is based on an individual’s biology, age and social surroundings. People with high risk factors have a great risk of addiction. For example, there are families that have addiction links. Peer pressure and social groups may also affect the propensity to addiction. Age also plays a factor. If a person starts abusing drugs early in life, the chances for addiction increase.

How do you know if someone is abusing prescription drugs? The person may be taking higher doses of the medication that was prescribed by the physician. For example, if the doctor wrote the prescription for twice daily doses of pain meds and you or your loved one is take five or six, there’s a good chance that there is abuse. Taking the medication because you are bored or just feeling uneasy or out of sorts is another indication.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Relapses Tagged With: , ,

The Growing Need for Prescription Drug Rehabilitation Services

by Leave a Comment
Novamoxin Prescription Drug - Amoxicillin Trih...
Image via Wikipedia

Drug abuse and addiction used to be a “street” problem. When someone talked about an addict or an individual in need of drug rehab, he or she was usually referencing a user of illegal drugs like cocaine or heroin. Now, we are seeing more and more people checking into prescription drug rehab programs.

The face of drug abuse has changed. Today, prescription drug abuse and addiction are serious, growing problems that is spreading all over the world.

The extent of the epidemic is readily visible in the way young people are dealing with prescription drugs. A recent National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse study determined that nearly one-third of all US teenagers have almost immediate access to mood altering prescription drugs. Respondents reported that they can obtain prescription medications more easily than they can purchase a six pack of beer.

Meanwhile, those with legitimate prescriptions often fail to secure or supervise their drug supplies. Physicians, particularly with ear-nose-throat and orthopedic practices, continue to prescribe mood-altering drugs in record numbers. The legality of the drugs themselves makes abuse less likely to attract the attention of law enforcement. As such, it is not surprising that street drugs are suddenly taking a back seat to prescriptions in many areas.

Those who are directly involved in offering assistance to those suffering with drug dependency problems are focusing on ways to better deal with the challenges of prescription drug abuse as they strive to meet their clients’ needs.

The influence of factors encouraging the improper use of prescribed medications is leading prescription drug rehab programs to anticipate and to prepare for continued growth. They are already seeing more people in need than ever before and there is little reason for them to believe that a decrease in demand for prescription drug rehab services is on the horizon.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Addiction Treatment Facility Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Xanax Abuse Partially Caused by Ineffective US Healthcare System

by Leave a Comment
Xanax (photograph)
Image via Wikipedia

When prescribed by a conscientious physician, the use of Xanax and other benzodiazepines are an effective way to manage short-term stress. Appropriate uses might include helping a patient deal with the loss of a loved one, struggling through stressful situations at work, or facing phobias. Xanax and similar drugs, however, have a high rate of abuse, especially when prescribed by doctors who do not carefully manage their patients’ use of the drugs. Long-term and inappropriate use, therefore, often leads to addiction.

Recent research has shown that ER visits involving the nonmedical use of prescription drugs has increased 111 percent in the past five years. This indicates that many doctors are not monitoring their patients well. Unfortunately, some patients could lack the willpower to resist the allure of frequent Xanax use. After all, when someone faces daily anxiety, it makes sense for him or her to turn to something that can alleviate those negative feelings.

Using some benzodiazepines daily for a week, however, can foster physical and psychological dependency.

Some doctors feel pressured to prescribe medications to their patients even when they know there is a risk of misuse. When a patient complains of anxiety symptoms and sleeplessness, compassionate doctors want to help those people find an effective way to overcome their problems. The only tools available to most general physicians are prescription drugs. They can also suggest exercise, improved diet, and other lifestyle changes, but few doctors have the training needed to address mental health concerns such as severe anxiety.

Xanax abuse, therefore, could stem from an ineffective healthcare system that fails to provide adequate treatment to patients with mental illnesses. A comprehensive system would make it easier for caring, responsible doctors to prescribe Xanax for short-term anxiety management while helping patients get the mental health care that they need to cope with life.

Long-term Xanax use can lead to unwanted conditions such as memory loss and paradoxical anxiety. To make matters even worse, patients frequently experience disastrous results when quitting Xanax “cold turkey.” Stopping Xanax use abruptly can cause seizures, severe anxiety, vomiting, heart palpitations, hallucinations, and fevers.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Addiction As A Disease Tagged With: , ,

Documentary Focuses on Prescription Drugs in Broward County

by Leave a Comment

A recent Vanguard documentary by Mariana van Zeller explores the effects that loose prescription drug laws in Broward County, Florida have on the local population and areas as far away as Kentucky. In the short film, van Zeller follows a drug addict as he shops around for doctors who will supply him with pain killers. It’s a surprisingly easy task in Ft. Lauderdale, where doctors are not required to keep a data base of the patients for whom they write prescriptions.

Van Zeller also talks to several men hanging around outside of a pain clinic. They openly talk about their experiences with the Oxycontin Express, a name given to the corridor that makes it relatively simple for drug dealers and addicts to take prescription meds from Broward County all the way to Appalachia.

A Kentucky sheriff also discusses his experiences busting addicts. He has found that the vast majority of prescription pills abused in his area come from south Florida. Despite his pleas to Florida officials, they have no interest in changing their prescription drug laws.

This is an interesting documentary that is certainly worth watching. You learn a lot about how laws influence drug behavior. Van Zeller’s film is even more interesting when one considers recent news that Ft. Lauderdale and St. Petersburg have more prescription drug related deaths than any other cities in Florida.

According to a recent article in the Miami Herald, a large number of deaths have resulted from a new trend that involves mixing prescription pain killers with illegal drugs like heroin and cocaine. The mixture of opiates and narcotics is exceptionally more dangerous that using either category of drug on its own.

As van Zeller’s documentary shows, this problem probably won’t stay sequestered in south Florida. The Oxycontin Highway makes it all too easy for drug trends, as well as drugs, to travel up the East Coast into other parts of the country. This could mean that increasingly dangerous drug use trends will begin appearing in states such as Virginia, Kentucky, North and South Carolina, and Virginia.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Addiction Treatment Facility Tagged With: , ,