Did you know that in the US, prescription painkiller overdoses kill more people than heroin and cocaine combined? According to the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Thomas Freiden, “ Overdoses involving prescription painkillers are at epidemic levels and now kill more Americans than heroin and cocaine combined”. A report, called CDC Vital Signs state that “Prescription painkiller overdoses were responsible for more than 15,500 deaths in 2009”.
These statistics clearly show that the seriousness of medication dependency should never be underestimated.
If you suspect that you or a loved one could be suffering from a medication dependency, then it’s important to know all the facts and details about this illness.
Signs and Symptoms of Medication Dependency
Are you suffering from a medication dependency? Here’s how you can check.
When someone suffers from medication dependency, they would continually need more and more of the substance in order to feel and maintain the effects of the drugs.
This is known as increased drug tolerance, and occurs when the body becomes dependent to the role that the medication plays inside the body. When the medication use is suddenly stopped, it creates feelings known as withdrawal symptoms, which range from:
- Nausea
- Anxiety
- Delusion
- Body pain
- Increased sweating
Addictive and non-addictive medication has the ability to cause a physical dependency to the drug.
The most common prescription drugs that are usually linked with medication dependency are:
- Opioids – Medication used to treat pain and discomfort
- Central Nervous System (CNS) Depressants – Medication used to treat stress, anxiety and sleeplessness
- Stimulants – Medication used to treat illnesses such as narcolepsy and attention deficit disorder (ADHD).
What’s important to understand is that being medication dependency is completely different to being addicted to a drug. The difference between the two is that addiction is a disorder that involves the uncontrolled use of a drug despite causing damage to the user and the people around them.
Advice from the Professionals
Should you be using medication that could result into a physical dependency, DO NOT STOP TAKING IT! Your medical doctor should be the only one who should decide when it’s time to change your medication or dosage. This will help your body avoid any withdrawal symptoms that could be experienced when you stop using the medication.
It’s also important to follow the instructions from your medical doctor to the letter. They are the only ones that know how much medication is best suited to you without becoming addicted to it.
How You Can Help Yourself
Make sure that you visit your doctor on a frequent basis so that he can closely monitor your progress as some medications will need to be stopped in order to prevent an addiction developing. Explain to your doctor how each medication is affecting you emotionally and physically, especially in the early stages of use, while your body is adjusting to it.
Make sure that you understand your medication and what drugs you should avoid. Feel free to ask your pharmacist about this if there is something bothering you. Lastly, do not use any other prescriptions but your own and do not share it with anyone. The medication has been specifically assigned to your needs and it could be harmful to someone else.