Dangerous prescription drug overdose deaths from the abuse of painkillers have increased at an alarming rate in the last half-decade. Oftentimes, these medications are being prescribed to treat the pain caused by traumatic injury, such as a car crash, a fall, sports injury, and can quickly spiral into a life of addiction. They can also be prescribed for anxiety disorders, panic disorders, obesity, narcolepsy, and many other conditions. Knowing you may have a problem with addiction can save your life, and realizing you have a problem is the beginning on the path to a sober life. If you’re wondering whether or not you may be addicted to prescription medication, keep reading to learn more about the symptoms and what to do.
How Do I Know If I Am Addicted to My Prescription Medication?: Signs to Look Out For
Many people discover they have a problem through common warning signs. These signs of addiction can include:
- Drug-seeking behavior. This can involve having multiple prescriptions at multiple pharmacies, as well as seeing multiple doctors in order to obtain them.
- Isolation from friends and family. Have you noticed yourself distancing from your loved ones more and more in an effort to hide the extent of your use?
- Increased usage. Over time, the drugs begin to lose their effectiveness, so you may begin to increase your dosage and frequency of intake.
- Personality change. This is a notable change in your way of behaving, increased irritability, erratic behavior, and more. Thoughts of getting more medications and how to obtain them consume you.
- Memory lapse, unable to keep track of time. When in the throes of addiction, you may experience temporary loss of memory, commonly referred to as a blackout. You may also have become hard to count on, such as missing appointments and the inability to maintain a schedule.
- Aggression, defensiveness. When people question your addiction or how you use your medication, do you become defensive?
- Audio and Visual sensitivity. Prescription pain drugs interfere with the regular functions of the body, and some frequent side effects are increased sensitivity to light and sound.
- Frequent excuse and lying. You may have begun lying about where you were, or why you are late to your loved ones in an attempt to hide your addiction.
- Appearance change. You may be experiencing a radical change in weight, changes in grooming, hygiene, and more. It’s hard to notice this on your own, so chances are, people are bringing it up to you.
Can I Become Addicted to My Prescription Medication Unknowingly?
No one intends on becoming a victim of substance abuse. It’s the result of a chemical reaction from the addictive substance, and the good news is, this can be fixed and towards a path of a sober life. The treatment of this chemical unbalance is one of the fundamentals of treating a substance abuse disorder.
Many people got to the point of prescription drug addiction through no fault of their own. Very often, it is the result of pain management following a serious injury, or from medications (such as Benzodiazepines) treating disorders like anxiety. These medications can be very helpful in the treatment during those situations, however, they carry the danger of addiction and abuse with them.
The prolonged abuse of prescription medications usually results in a tolerance of the medication. This means the person will be ever-increasing their dosage to get the same feeling of euphoria, or to fight off the feelings of withdrawal when not keeping their dosage up. Often after a patient builds up some tolerance, the chances of overdosing become more likely as they are taking larger and more potent doses.
Safely Quitting
Dangerous prescription drugs, like opioids, can be very difficult to detox from and often require a tapering-off period so that body can adjust. This is a process called medically-assisted detox. This often involves the use of medications to limit the side effects of withdrawal and making the first steps towards detoxifying the body.
Being able to detox comfortably and safely will help greatly reduce the chances of relapse, and will help make for a better treatment experience. Detox can be extremely uncomfortable and often debilitating, especially when detoxing from prescription opioids. When done alone, it can quickly lead to a relapse binge, which often leads to a deadly overdose. However, safely detoxing at a luxury rehab facility can minimize this discomfort while you’re surrounded with 24-hour medical care.
About Seasons in Malibu
Having a helping hand to get you on the path of sobriety can be essential in reaching a long-term drug-free life. Our team of addiction experts has helped many people and use a clinical approach to the treatment of addiction, and you can be next. You don’t have to fight your addiction alone.
Seasons in Malibu is a luxury drug and alcohol treatment center located in idyllic Malibu, California. We are a CARF-accredited, licensed, substance abuse, and mental health treatment center. We specialize in treating a wide variety of addictions, such as alcohol dependence, opiate addiction, cocaine addiction, sex addiction, gambling addiction, and prescription drug abuse. We are also licensed and accredited to treat mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, complex trauma, and PTSD.
We are very proud that in surveying our clients, more than 95% say they would recommend our Malibu Rehab Center to a friend or family member. We believe this is the greatest testament to the compassionate, world-class addiction, detox, and mental health treatment we offer clients at our Luxury Rehab in California.
