Prescription drug abuse and prescription drug addiction have been with us since doctors began prescribing drugs. However, it has been more widespread since doctors have begun allowing patients to get refills without visiting their doctor.

While doctors ultimately have to sign off on these refills, doing so can become routine and thus the prescription drug abuse is facilitated.

There are three types of prescription drugs that most commonly result in prescription drug abuse due to prescription drug addiction. These are:

• 1. Opioids: These are prescribed for pain relief. The most common opioids that lead to prescription drug abuse are codeine, morphine, Oxycontin, Vicodin and Darvon.
• 2. Central Nervous System Depressants: These are drugs that slow down brain functions and thus stop panic attacks, relieve anxiety and cure insomnia. Prescription drug abuse mainly results from taking Xanax or Valium, which are very calming. This type of prescription drug abuse can lead to prescription drug addiction and the long-term problems that come with it.
• 3. Stimulants: These are drugs that speed up the functioning of the brain and they are mostly prescribed for those who have ADHD. The most common drug in this class is Ritalin. While there is less prescription drug abuse with stimulants, they can still lead to prescription drug addiction and the accompanying health issues.

It needs to be understood that people who suffer from prescription drug addiction have not done this deliberately. They did not take more of the prescription drug to get high. Instead, prescription drug abuse happens over a long period of time when a patient takes the same prescription drug to treat their condition. Over this time period, a person’s body becomes so use to getting the prescription drug that the patient actually has to take an increasingly larger dosage in order to calm their symptoms. This form of prescription drug abuse then results in prescription drug addiction. Once this prescription drug abuse begins there is little that the patient can do by themselves due to their overwhelming thoughts about the withdrawal symptoms. The sad part is that this type of prescription drug abuse can ultimately result in death due to overdosing. It is also sad to note that more could be done to put an end to prescription drug abuse.

Doctors and pharmacists need to be aware of the potential problems that taking prescription drugs for a long period of time can cause. They should be giving helpful advice as to when a person should stop taking these prescription drugs so that they do not become a victim of prescription drug abuse. When there is a fear that the patient is coming close to committing prescription drug abuse, the doctor should begin to slowly reduce the dose and not just suddenly stop supplying the prescription drug all together. Doctors need to remember that these are law-abiding people who have simply fallen victim to prescription drug abuse and thus are in need of help, not punishment.

About the author:
Dillon Benderman runs dependencyFree.com focusing on substance abuse issues and providing a directory of related help sources.

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