Prescription medications are used to treat a variety of medical conditions - from pain disorders to anxiety or depressive disorders. Prescription drugs work by promoting or suppressing the activity of the neurotransmitters in the brain. By law, prescription medications are defined as a medication that must have a doctor’s signature before they can be dispensed by a pharmacy.
Prescription drugs are often prescribed by a physician to treat a specific condition. For most individuals, these medications are taken exactly as prescribed for the course they were intended. For others, prescription drugs may be the gateway to a far more serious addiction. When a prescription drug is used in a manner that it was not prescribed or to relieve symptoms of emotional problems or stresses, prescription drug use becomes prescription drug abuse.
Some of the first signs of prescription drug addiction may be noticeable by friends and loved ones. The outward signs of prescription drug addiction may include the following:
- Mood swings that may be related to the availability and absence of the prescription drug of choice.
- Use and abuse of alcohol
- Levels of increased irritability when prescription drugs are not available
- Changes in sleep patterns
“Drug-seeking behaviors” are one of the most notable warning signs that someone is engaging in prescription drug abuse. These behaviors may include:
- Frequent requests for refills on medication
- Using over-the-counter medications for the same health-related conditions that the prescription has been prescribed
- Chewing, crushing or breaking pills
- “Doctor shopping,” a term for visiting a variety of different doctors to obtain more of the prescription medication.
- Forging prescriptions
- Borrowing medications from others
- Stealing medications from other people
- Stealing prescriptions for the drug of choice
Three main classes of prescription medications offer more addiction and abuse potential by certain individuals. These include:
Sedatives and Tranquilizers such as benzodiazepines, sleep medications, and barbiturates. These are often prescribed to manage anxiety disorders or sleep problems. All carry potential for abuse.
Stimulants such as amphetamines and methylphenidate offer feelings of euphoria, alertness and intense boosts of energy. While paradoxical, these stimulants are often used to calm individuals with ADHD. Many individuals of the younger generation feel the pressures of doing more and more and rely on these drugs to increase mental alertness.
Opiates - also called painkillers - include oxycodone and hydrocodone. These medications are derived from the poppy plant and used legitimately to treat pain disorders. As opiate narcotics offer feelings of joy and happiness, they have a high potential for addiction. Opiates are rapidly becoming the drug of choice for many individuals. Many people who begin treatment with opiate narcotics for pain disorders do become addicted and begin to abuse the drug to relieve psychological discomfort or emotional distress.
Statistics
According to data from 2010, roughly 16 million individuals in the US have used a prescription medication for non-medical reasons. Approximately 7 million US individuals have reported abusing prescriptions within the past 30 days. This type of substance abuse is largely understood and misreported and merits further research.
Co-Occurring Disorders
Many types of mental health conditions can lead to the development of addiction to substances such as prescription drugs. These may include:
- Depressive disorders
- Anxiety disorders
- Other addictions
- Alcoholism
- Conduct disorders
- Bipolar disorder
- Antisocial personality disorder
Causes
Almost all individuals who are prescribed medications by their doctor take their prescriptions – even the ones with high potential for addiction – as they were prescribed. Taking a prescription medication, even the ones listed above, does not necessarily indicate that one will develop a prescription drug addiction. There has been no identified cause for the development of a prescription drug addiction; instead it is believed that addiction is a multi-factorial problem. Possible factors include:
Genetic: Many individuals grow up in a household in which a close relative is addicted to substances. Individuals who have a first-degree relative with an addiction problem are at higher risk for developing an addiction later in life.
Biological: Certain theories suggest that people who become addicted to certain classes of prescription drugs may be “self-medicating” for an inborn deficiency of certain neurotransmitters in the brain. An individual may take certain medications to attempt to correct this deficiency.
Environmental: It’s been suggested that growing up in a household where a parent or caregiver abused substances may lead an individual later in their lives to abuse substances as this is the behavior they’ve come to know. Watching a trusted adult abuse substances to cope with stressors may lead an individual to believe that this is the proper way to handle stress and may not know any other coping mechanisms.
Psychological: Many individuals who are coping with undiagnosed or untreated mental health problems may attempt to use drugs or alcohol to manage the symptoms of their mental illness, which can lead to abuse and addiction.
Symptoms of Sedative or Tranquilizer Abuse
Most individuals who take sedatives or tranquilizers to manage their anxiety or depression do so under the supervision of their physician and at the recommended dosage and frequency.
It may be very challenging for an individual who is addicted to sedatives or tranquilizers to note how this abuse has affected their appearance and behaviors. The most obvious signs that a person may have an addiction to tranquilizers or sedatives include:
- Memory lapses
- Rapid and involuntary eye movements
- Poor judgment
- Confusion about environment
- Appearing “stoned,” sleepy or intoxicated
- Involuntary movements
- Inability to properly make decisions
- Unsteady mannerisms
When long-term usage of sedatives or tranquilizers is abruptly discontinued, an individual may experience symptoms of withdrawal. Typical withdrawal symptoms from sedatives or tranquilizers include the following symptoms:
- Anxiety
- Feeling nervous
- Nightmares
- Decrease in appetite
- Tremors
- Rapid heart rate
- Labile blood pressure
- High fever
- Increased respiration rate
- Rebound effects – the brain becomes very excitable
- Seizures
Symptoms of Stimulant Abuse
Popularity and abuse of stimulants is becoming a very real concern among adolescents and young adults. Stimulants such as Ritalin are often used as party drugs to increase feelings of bliss and energy. Individuals who engage in stimulant abuse often take the prescriptions in higher doses than prescribed, which carries further risks. Symptoms of stimulant abuse may include:
- Unexplained weight loss
- Agitation and irritation
- Hostility
- Paranoia
- Psychosis
- High blood pressure
- Increased body temperature
- Cardiac arrhythmias
- Heart failure
When an individual has taken stimulants for a long stretch of time, he or she may experience withdrawal symptoms if the drug use is stopped. Withdrawal symptoms from stimulants may include:
- Extreme appetite
- Headaches
- Mood swings
- Nausea and vomiting
- Irritability
- Intense drug cravings
- Depression
- Insomnia
Symptoms of Opiate Abuse
Opiate addiction and abuse is on the rise. Many people who are addicted to opiates like hydrocodone or oxycodone opt to mix painkillers with alcohol and other drugs, which only intensifies the effects of the drug; however this cocktail runs a higher risk for overdose, coma, and death. Painkiller addiction symptoms may include the following:
- Respiratory depression
- Marked confusion
- Chronic constipation
- Massive depression
- Disorientation
- Hypotension
It may be noted that an individual is addicted to opiate painkillers until the drug abuse is stopped and the individual goes into withdrawal. Withdrawal from painkillers is a serious condition. Opiate withdrawal symptoms may include:
- Cold flashes
- Muscle and bone pain
- Restlessness
- Agitation
- Involuntary movements of the legs and arms
- Nausea and vomiting
- Seizures
- Cardiac arrest
Effects of Prescription Drug Abuse
When individuals abuse prescription drugs in order to relieve any underlying emotional pain or stress in a manner in which the medication was not prescribed, there is no management or treatment of the cause for the emotional distress. Unfortunately, abusing prescription drugs in this manner can only cause greater problems in the individual’s life. These problems may include:
- Legal problems
- Financial problems
- Compounded emotional problems
- Job and scholastic performance issues
- Interpersonal relationship struggles
- Job loss
- Homelessness
Effects of Withdrawal from Prescription Medications
Any substance that is abused to the point of addiction can lead to withdrawal symptoms if the substance is abruptly discontinued. While many symptoms are related to the specific drug of choice, common withdrawal symptoms include:
- Irritability
- Nausea and vomiting
- Agitation
- Restlessness
- Whole body pain
- Depression
- Anger
- Anxiety
- Psychosis
- Seizures
- Coma
- Death