Prescription Drug Treatment

Prescription drug treatment is a class of drug abuse treatment designed to help free a person of an addiction to a drug commonly prescribed by doctors. Not everyone who undergoes prescription drug treatment was actually prescribed the drug. May people purchase prescription drugs illegally on the Internet, raising their chances of becoming addicted because they don’t have the proper counseling before taking it, or follow-up care and monitoring that is standard when an addictive drug is prescribed.

There are three classes of drugs that are commonly prescribed that most people seeking prescription drug treatment are trying to break their addictions to:

Opoids, which are prescribed as pain relievers, are the most commonly abused prescription drugs and some of the most highly addictive. Morphine, codeine, Oxycontin, Demerol, Vicodin, Dilaudid, and drugs that combine one of these with a less addictive drug like Percocet (a combination of acetaminophen and oxycodone) are the most commonly prescribed opoids today.

Naturally, the pain medication that works best on severe pain like morphine is more addictive than something like codeine which relieves milder pain very well. For anyone addicted to an opoid, prescription drug treatment is a necessity, especially during the initial withdrawal period.

Another type of medication that causes prescription drug treatment to be necessary is the class of CNS depressants. These medications come in two classes: barbiturates and benzodiazepines. Barbiturates include Mebaral and Nembutal, which are usually prescribed for sleep disorders and anxiety. Benzodiazepines like Valium, Xanax, Halcion and Librium are prescribed for anxiety and panic attacks. These lull the person and soothe away tension, even causing sleep.

Stimulants are third group of drugs that become addictive and prompt the person to go into prescription drug treatment. Unlike opoids which ease pain and depressants which slow down the body and soothe the person, these stimulate the brain and make a person more alert and energetic. These drugs like Ritalin and Dexedrine are usually only prescribed today for things like ADHD and narcolepsy. At one time they were prescribed for several things, including asthma, but their highly addictive nature saw that recently end.

For the person seeking prescription drug treatment, it’s important to find a program that deals with the particular challenges inherent in addiction to a legal drug. The very fact that these are prescriptions drugs gives some people a false sense of security that no matter how they take the drugs, they’re perfectly safe from overdose or addiction. Overcoming those myths and false beliefs are often a first step in breaking a drug’s hold over you.

And if addiction is present, prescription drug treatment is absolutely necessary. Just because these drugs are legal doesn’t mean they won’t do damage. Depressants can eventually damage the lungs and the liver, and opoids are needed in ever larger doses to prevent pain. Either can be taken incorrectly enough to cause death. Stimulants are the least physically addictive here, but the person begins to take them compulsively in some cases and becomes psychologically addicted, which requires prescription drug treatment as much as physical addiction.