Prescription Drug Addiction

Prescription Medications

Prescription drug addiction is often overlooked, while illegal drug use gets the most attention when people talk about drug addiction, legal drugs that are used for recreation, which leads to addiction. For this section we’ll divide the prescription meds into three groups—central nervous system depressants, opioids and central nervous system stimulants

Depressants

The depressants are useful in treating conditions such as anxiety and sleep disorders. In American culture we commonly hear references to central nervous system depressants, as someone will say, “Take a Valium.” If someone is excited, angry or in any way agitated, the response is to take a pill and calm down. We do not question proper medical use of this group of drugs, as the benefits are many, but like other groups of drugs, the potential for abuse is ample and prescription drug addiction is common.

The depressants include barbiturates and benzodiazepines. The barbiturates would be drugs like Phenobarbital, amobarbital and secobarbital. The benzodiazepines are the tranquilizers, such as diazepam, oxazepam, lorazepam, alprazolam, clonazepam and chordiazepoxide. Probably the most familiar among these drugs to the general public are diazepam (Valium) and the chlordiazepoxide (Librium).

When abused, these drugs produce a variety of signs and symptoms, such as, but not limited to slurred speech, drowsiness, loss of motor function, confusion, depression, loss of memory. Users may experience a lowering of their blood pressure and slowed breathing all evidence of prescription drug addiction.

Opioids

Another major group of prescription medications that are widely abused are the opioids, which are prescribed to manage pain. These would include oxycodone, propoxyphene, hydrocodone, hydromorphene, meperidine and diphenoxylate. The likely most familiar to Americans are propoxyphene (Darvon) and hydrocodone (Vicodin).

These drugs, when used properly are effective, but can be easily abuse and become very addictive. Sports fans may recall the story told by NFL quarterback Brett Favre, who was prescribed Vicodin for an ankle injury in the mid-1990’s. He said that his use of the pain killer became frequent and that set off a chain of physical maladies associated with dependence.

This writer met a woman, who was in the hospital for treatment of a broken ankle, and said she had been prescribed oxycodone for a past injury. She admitted that she and her live-in boyfriend would grind it up and snort it for the intense effect.

We read stories about addicts going to several doctors to secure prescriptions to ensure an ample supply of drugs. Emergency departments all over the country are flooded with patients who have nothing wrong with them other than their demand for these kinds of drugs.

Stimulants

Our third group is the stimulants, which are prescribed for ADHD, obesity and narcolepsy. Dexedrine (dextroamphetamine) is a common prescription for obesity. Ritalin (methylphenidate) has almost become a staple for parents seeking to manage behavioral problems in their children.

The hazards of this group of drugs are much like those associated with methamphetamine, as the frequency of abuse. This group of drugs can be highly addictive and prolonged use can cause an unhealthy rise in body temperature, paranoia and irregular heart beat.

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