Prescription Drug Abuse & Addiction
Prescription drug addiction involves people building a dependence on prescription pharmaceutical medications. In many cases, prescription drug misuse occurs due to a voluntary pursuit of the euphoric feeling that some medications provide people.
When people seek the effects of these drugs, they often misuse them by taking higher doses than what’s recommended to treat pain or sickness. Consistently taking the drug over a long period of time or increasing dosage often creates a tolerance for the effects and the substance’s presence in a person’s system. A tolerance often minimizes the effects of the drug and reduces the euphoric feeling from taking it at lower doses, requiring a larger amount to achieve the same high.
When a tolerance is built, resisting taking the drug becomes more difficult for people. The dependence on the drug is built through increasing dosage and the body’s central nervous system getting used to the drug’s presence and the help it provides the brain while performing certain functions.
Once addiction sets in, misuse becomes compulsive and difficult to overcome. Additionally, addiction to prescription drugs can cause severe long-term consequences, including physical injury and mental illness while also affecting personal and professional relationships. Fortunately, there is a way for people to remove addiction from their lives and overcome prescription drug misuse. This positive resolution is often achieved through a rehabilitation program at a reputable medical facility, such as The Recovery Village.
Since prescription drugs require a doctor’s signature to attain, they can be misused in a few different ways, including: Those are some of the most common ways that people misuse prescription drugs, which can then lead them to develop a prescription drug addiction. Some prescription medications are not misused as often as others are due to the associated effects of each drug. Psychoactive prescription drugs are classified in specific groups, each with their own appeal to someone seeking to misuse the drug or wanting treatment for pain or sickness. Since opioids can be highly addictive, many of them require a prescription to take and are not included in over-the-counter offerings. Some of the most common opioid prescription drugs (with their most common brand names noted after) include: When taken according to a doctor’s prescription, opioids are extremely effective pain-relief medications. They can improve the quality of life for people suffering from chronic pain, including after surgery and during cancer treatment. However, tolerance and a dependence on opioids develops quickly and addiction can form within two weeks a substance is taken regularly. If people increase their doses too much, people may experience severe side effects and be in danger of extreme injury, including death. Stimulant prescription drugs often are in pill form, but some can be taken as a skin patch or as a liquid. Some stimulants differ on how long they are effective, with three classifications: short-acting, intermediate-acting and long-acting. The most common short-acting stimulant prescription drugs include: Intermediate-acting stimulant drugs last longer than short-acting ones but still require regular dosage to effectively work. The most common ones include: Long-acting stimulants do not require regular dosage and can stay effective for hours, even days, while increasing alertness for people. The most popular ones include: Depressants are often prescribed to people suffering from sleep issues or anxiety disorders. The most commonly prescribed central nervous system depressants include: Some of the most popular benzodiazepines are diazepam (Valium), alprazolam (Xanax), triazolam (Halcion), and estazolam (ProSom). These are often prescribed to treat acute stress reactions, panic attacks and severe stress reactions. However, if taken regularly, people can develop a dependence, tolerance and addiction. Non-benzodiazepine sleep medicines include eszopiclone (Lunesta), zalepon (Sonata) and zolpidem (Ambien). They act on the same receptors as benzodiazepines but have a lower risk of dependence. Barbiturates include phenobarbital (Luminal Sodium), mephobarbital (Mebaral) and pentobarbital sodium (Nembutal). They are prescribed less often compared to other sedatives because they pose a higher risk of overdose. Older antipsychotics were discovered in the 1950s and include flupentixol, chlorpromazine, levomepromazine, haloperidol, perphenazine and pericyazine. Newer antipsychotic medications are recently created and include clozapine, aripiprazole, amisulpride, olanzapine, risperidone and quetiapine. Some people are more likely to become addicted to a prescription drug than others due to several factors, including: However, anyone can become addicted to a prescription drug over time if they misuse the substance for long enough. While there are examples of people who have become addicted even when taking the drug as ordered by a doctor, this is much less common than misuse. That’s why taking the drug as advised by medical professionals is important for safety reasons and a healthy lifestyle. Additionally, from 1991 to 2011, the number of prescriptions written and dispensed for opioids in the United States increased each year. It’s not just opioids that are a problem. More than 20 percent of Americans are prescribed a drug to treat a psychiatric or behavioral disorder. Such a high rate can cause people who struggle with substance use disorders to become addicted to the drug’s ingredients. Based on 2012 – 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health data, an annual average of 11.3 million U.S. adults ages 12 or older reported taking prescription pain relievers non-medically at least once in the past year. Codeine is the most common opiate prescribed and the most misused one around the world. Every year, around 300,000 kilograms of codeine are consumed. In some countries, cough syrups and tablets containing codeine are available without a prescription, making it easy for people to become addicted to the drug. Some of the most common commercial names for codeine are: A few of the popular street names used for codeine are: Some of the most common street names for morphine include: Some of the most common street names for amphetamine include: Benzodiazepines have a few common street names, including: If you notice yourself or a loved one routinely taking one of these prescription drugs, this is a sign of a substance use disorder. Many people suffer from this illness, especially with prescription drugs. Whether you or a loved one built a dependence from following a doctor’s prescription or through misuse, help is available. The Recovery Village knows how dangerous some prescription medications can be and also knows how to treat for addiction to these life-threatening substances. Call one of our associates today and speak to an addiction expert, who can detail why these drugs are so harmful and how drug rehabilitation can help. Medical Disclaimer: The Recovery Village aims to improve the quality of life for people struggling with a substance use or mental health disorder with fact-based content about the nature of behavioral health conditions, treatment options and their related outcomes. We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals. The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider. View our editorial policy or view our research. Seeking addiction treatment can feel overwhelming. We know the struggle, which is why we're uniquely qualified to help. Your call is confidential, and there's no pressure to commit to treatment until you're ready. As a voluntary facility, we're here to help you heal -- on your terms. Our sole focus is getting you back to the healthy, sober life you deserve, and we are ready and waiting to answer your questions or concerns 24/7.
Blum, Kenneth, et al. “Withdrawal from Buprenorphine/Naloxone and Maintenance with a Natural Dopaminergic Agonist: A Cautionary Note.” PubMed Central, National Institutes of Health, 22 Nov. 2013, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3835595/. Accessed 2 Feb. 2017.
“Buprenorphine Sublingual and Buccal (Opioid Dependence).” MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 16 Sept. 2016, medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a605002.html#discontinued. Accessed 2 Feb. 2017.
“Buprenorphine.” DEA Diversion Control Division, U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, July 2013, www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_chem_info/buprenorphine.pdf. Accessed 2 Feb. 2017.
“The DAWN Report: Emergency Department Visits Involving Buprenorphine.” Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 29 Jan. 2013, www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/DAWN106/DAWN106/sr106-buprenorphine.htm. Accessed 2 Feb. 2017.
“Is Buprenorphine Addictive?” The National Alliance of Advocates for Buprenorphine Treatment, www.naabt.org/faq_answers.cfm?ID=33. Accessed 2 Feb. 2017.
Mental Health Daily. “How Long Does Suboxone Stay In Your System?” Mental Health Daily, mentalhealthdaily.com/2015/10/28/how-long-does-suboxone-stay-in-your-system/. Accessed 27 Feb. 2017.
National Center for Biotechnology Information. “Buprenorphine.” The PubChem Open Chemistry Database, pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/buprenorphine#section=Metabolism-Metabolites. Accessed 27 Feb. 2017.
National Center for Biotechnology Information. “Naloxone.” The PubChem Open Chemistry Database, pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/naloxone#section=Top. Accessed 27 Feb. 2017.
“Opioids.” Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 23 Feb. 2016, www.samhsa.gov/atod/opioids. Accessed 2 Feb. 2017.
Schuman-Olivier, Z., et al. “Benzodiazepine Use During Buprenorphine Treatment for Opioid Dependence: Clinical and Safety Outcomes.” National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Institutes of Health, 1 Oct. 2013, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23688843. Accessed 2 Feb. 2017.
Sontag, Deborah. “Addiction Treatment With a Dark Side.” The New York Times, 16 Nov. 2013, www.nytimes.com/2013/11/17/health/in-demand-in-clinics-and-on-the-street-bupe-can-be-savior-or-menace.html. Accessed 2 Feb. 2017.
“Suboxone Dosing Guide.” The National Alliance of Advocates for Buprenorphine Treatment, www.naabt.org/documents/Suboxone_Dosing_guide.pdf . Accessed 2 Feb. 2017.
“Suboxone: The New Drug Epidemic?” National Pain Report, 23 Sept. 2013, www.nationalpainreport.com/suboxone-new-drug-epidemic-8821747.html. Accessed 2 Feb. 2017.
“SUBOXONE® (Buprenorphine and Naloxone) Sublingual Film (CIII).” Suboxone.com, Indivior Inc., Dec. 2016, www.suboxone.com/content/pdfs/prescribing-information.pdf. Accessed 2 Feb. 2017.
“What Exactly is Buprenorphine?” The National Alliance of Advocates for Buprenorphine Treatment, www.naabt.org/faq_answers.cfm?ID=2 . Accessed 2 Feb. 2017.
