Prescription Drug Addiction and how to beat it

The ill use and abuse of prescription drugs is extensive in our community, most commonly amongst youthful folks who have little idea of what they are taking! They use 'uppers' to pick themslves up, and 'depressants' to settle themselves back down, regularly with unanticipated, and occasionally fatal, results.

Most people who take prescription meds use them sensibly. However, the inappropriate or non-medicinal use of prescription drugs is a serious public health issue. Non-medical use of prescription medications like opioids, central nervous system (CNS) depressants, and 'uppers' can lead to addiction, characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use.

Patients, medical practitioners, and pharmacists all have roles to play in preventing misuse and addiction to prescription medicines. Patients should read all information provided by the druggist. Nurses ought to monitor for any type of drug abuse during normal history-taking, with questions about which prescriptions and over-the-counter (OTC) medications the person is taking and why, and must note any rapid increases in the amount of a medication needed or recurrent demands for refills before the amount intended ought to have been used, as these may be symptoms of abuse.

While many prescription drugs can be abused or ill-used, these three classes are most commonly abused:

• * Opioids - frequently prescribed to treat pain.
• * CNS Depressants - used to treat nervousness and sleep problems.
• * Stimulants - directed to treat narcolepsy and attention-deficit disorder.

Opioids

Optoids are commonly directed because of their effective painkilling properties. Studies have found that accurately managed medical use of opioid analgesic compounds is safe and seldom results in addiction.

Taken exactly as intended, opiates can be used to deal with pain effectually. Among the compounds that fall within this class - at times referred to as narcotics - are morphine, codeine, and related medications.

Morphine is often used before or after surgery to alleviate severe pain. Codeine is used for milder pain.

Opioids act by attaching to certain proteins called opioid receptors, which are found in the brain, spinal cord, and intestinal tract. When these compounds affix to particular opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord, they can successfully change the way a person experiences pain.

In addition, opioid medicines can alter areas of the brain that resolve what we perceive as gratification, resulting in the initial excitement that many opioids yield. They can also produce sleepiness, cause constipation, and, depending upon the volume taken, slow down breathing. Taking a sizable single dose may very well result in severe respiratory failure or even death!

Opioids may interact with other meds and are only safe to use with other medications under a GP's supervision. Typically, they must not be used with medications such as alcohol, antihistamines, barbiturates, or benzodiazepines.

Since these substances slow breathing, their combined effects could lead to life-threatening respiratory depression. Long-term use also can lead to bodily dependence, where the body gets used to the existence of the substance and withdrawal symptoms ensue if use is reduced abruptly. These indicators can incorporate 'tolerance', which indicates that larger doses of a medication must be taken to achieve the same initial results.

Central Nervous System (CNS) Depressants

Central CNS depressants slow normal brain function. In higher doses, some depressants can become general anesthetics. Tranquilizers and sedatives are good examples of CNS depressants.

CNS 'downers' can be categorized into two groups, based on their chemistry and pharmacology: Barbiturates, such as mephobarbital (Mebaral) and pentobarbitalsodium (Nembutal), which are used to treat anxiety, tension, and sleep disorders. Benzodiazepines, such as diazepam (Valium), chlordiazepoxide HCl (Librium), and alprazolam (Xanax), which can be prescribed to treat anxiety, severe stress responses, and panic attacks.

There are many CNS depressants, and most act on the brain similarly - they make changes to the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Neurotransmitters are brain chemicals that assist communication between brain cells. GABA works by lessening brain activity.

Although diverse types of 'downers' work in particular ways, in the end it is their ability to intensify GABA activity that produces a drowsy or calming effect. Despite these beneficial results for folk suffering anxiety or sleep disorders, barbiturates and benzodiazepines can be habit forming and should be used only as prescribed.

CNS depressants ought to not be combined with any medication or drug that causes tiredness, including prescription pain medicines, specific OTC cold and hypersensitivity drugs, or alcohol. If combined, they can slow breathing, or slow both the heart and breathing, which can be deadly.

Discontinuing sustained use of high amounts of CNS depressants can lead to withdrawal. Because they work by slowing the brain's activity, a potential effect of abuse is that when one stops taking a CNS depressant, the brain's activity can rebound to the point that fits can occur. Someone thinking about terminating their use of a CNS depressant, or who has stopped and is afflicted by withdrawal, should talk with a medical doctor and seek medicinal treatment.

Stimulants

Stimulants escalate alertness, concentration, and energy, which are accompanied by increases in blood pressure, pulse rate, and respiration. Historically, stimulants were used to treat asthma and other lung problems, overweightness, neurological problems, and a collection of other illnesses.

As their potential for abuse and addiction became clear, the use of stimulants began to wane. Now, 'uppers' are prescribed for treating only a few health conditions, including narcolepsy, attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and depression that has not responded to other therapies. Stimulants may also be used for short-term management of obesity and for people with asthma.

Stimulants such as dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine) and methylphenidate (Ritalin) have chemical structures that are similar to key brain neurotransmitters named monoamines, which include norepinephrine and dopamine. Stimulants increase the levels of these chemicals in the brain and body. This, in turn, increases blood pressure and heart rate, constricts blood vessels, increases blood glucose, and opens up the pathways of the respiratory system. In addition, the increase in dopamine is associated with a mood of euphoria that can accompany the use of stimulants.

Research indicates that people with ADHD do not become addicted to stimulant meds, such as Ritalin, when taken in the form and dosage prescribed. However, when used incorrectly, 'uppers' can be addictive.

The end results of stimulant abuse can be extremely dangerous. Taking high doses of a stimulant can result in an sporadic heartbeat, grievously high body temperatures, and/or the potential for cardiovascular failure or seizures. Taking high amounts of some stimulants repeatedly over a short length of time can lead to hostility or feelings of paranoia in some individuals.

Stimulants must not be mixed with antidepressants or OTC cold drugs containing decongestants. Antidepressants may develop the effects of a stimulant, and 'uppers' in combination with decongestants may be a cause of blood pressure to become precariously high or lead to uneven heart rate.

Treatment of addiction to prescription 'uppers', such as methylphenidate and amphetamines, is based on behavior therapies that have proven helpful for managing cocaine or methamphetamine addiction. At this time, there is no one confirmed medication used for the management of stimulant addiction. Antidepressants, nonetheless, may be used to control the side effects of depression that can accompany initial abstinence from stimulants.

For more information on Prescription Drug Abuse visit us at http://www.addictiontodrugs.org