Archive for the ‘prescription Drugs’ Category
Drug addiction and the Elderly
Drug Abuse and the Elderly
You wouldn’t likely suspect your mother or grandmother of having a drug dependency, yet studies show that addiction among the elderly is climbing.
Older generations aren’t abusing illicit drugs like the young. Symptoms of anxiety and sleepless nights are being treated with prescriptions of Xanax, Valium and other benzodiazepines that are meant for short-term management of these conditions. Unfortunately, older patients are taking them daily whether they need them or not-much like pills they take for long-term disorders like high blood pressure-and the abuse is going largely unnoticed. Why?
Several reasons, actually. Doctors may be completely unaware or too busy to notice. Others find the task of confronting an elderly patient with questions that suggest she may be an addict embarrassing or distasteful. Still others may feel that since the person is old anyway, she should be left alone.
The main problem with elderly drug abuse is that they suffer from more psychological and physical issues than a younger person who uses prescription drugs other than for what they are intended. Depression is common among the elderly as they become more and more dependent on others. Whether they are abusing medications to alleviate uncomfortable emotional feelings or they have bad feelings because of the medications prescribed for other issues can only be determined by a professional.
The first step in getting treatment for elderly drug abusers is to be alert to signs and symptoms of the abuse. Family members especially need to be aware of what medications their parents or grandparents are on and monitor them carefully. It may become necessary for the family to intervene and for their loved one to seek inpatient care if the abuse has been long term.
The way back to recovery is a long road for the elderly. It will require the proper counseling, family support and time and patience. Loved ones need to be committed to helping her every step of the way and to proving long-term support and encouragement. There are many types of drug rehabilitation available today, and many programs that can truly work with the elderly. These would be centers that have Drs. And registered nurses on staff to help with any medical need that may arise during detox or any other time in the program. Contact a professional addiction counselor of advise on different methods of treatment and to find a program that fits the needs of your loved one.
Speak to a professional addiction counselor today; 1-877-744-3536
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From User to Addict
From User to Addict
Many times the question is asked: How many times do you have to take a drug before you become addicted to it? There are no easy answers, but understanding how substance abuse affects the brain may help you to make wise decisions to avoid any and all casual drug use.
Illicit drugs change the way your brain functions. The number of times a person has to “get high” before the brain becomes damaged varies between individuals but the sad outcome is still the same. What started out as casual use becomes a constant craving that cannot be subdued unless the brain is fed more and more doses of the drug. You are now an addict with a haywire brain.
Here’s how it works. You ingest, smoke, and snort the drug. The brain responds with elevated levels of dopamine—the hormone that regulates pleasure sensory. When you come down from being high the dopamine levels even out again. But at some point after repeated drug use, the limbic system kicks in and the dopamine levels don’t even out—they plummet below normal. Now your brain craves the drug the same way it craves air or food.
The addicted brain feels depressed, lethargic and the user’s life seems hopeless. Now he needs more of the drug to bring the dopamine level up to normal again. The longer he uses, the more tolerant his brain becomes. He has to take more and more of the drug to reach the same effects and he has to take it more frequently as well.
In effect, the drug abuser, by repeated uses has completely changed the way his brain works. He has developed an addiction that can only be cured through long hard work. A quality rehabilitation center is the first step.
Addiction can be cured, but not over night, nor by just going through a short term detox program. Addicts can make a recovery through programs that combine counseling, behavior changes and learning how to take responsibility for the decisions they make in life.
For more information please contact “Addiction Rehab Help” we can help you find the best rehabilitation center for the needs of your loved one.
Addiction Rehab Help 1-877-744-3536
ADD and ADHD medication abuse
Ritalin Nation: Use, Abuse and Treatment
Methylphenidate or Ritalin has grown in popularity over the past four decades. Not only is it the most prescribed drug for treating ADHD and ADD but it is also one of the most popularly abused drugs among adolescents and young adults. In fact it is estimated that 85-90% of prescriptions for Ritalin are for children and adolescents.
Adults suffering from obesity, depression, lethargy and narcolepsy are among the fewer recipients who receive Ritalin to treat their disorders, even though Ritalin is not indicated for such use.
The widespread availability of Ritalin, particularly in the United States adds to the potential for its abuse. Teenagers and college aged adults abuse the drug for its cocaine-like properties, often taking many more times the recommended dose to induce a euphoric affect. Crushing the tablets and snorting them or mixing the powder with other substances for IV use are the popular methods implemented by adults to abuse Ritalin.
In 2004 over 8000 cases of Ritalin overdose were reported in the United States. The majority of those were caused by intentional ingestion for the purpose of committing suicide or getting high. Clearly this drug is a threat to the well being of our youth because of its accessibility and acceptance as a viable tool in treating disorders that could be managed more safely using other methods.
Signs of abuse include: Decreased appetite, weight loss, irritability, and rapid speech, euphoria followed by bouts of depression, insomnia and paranoia.
Treatment for Ritalin abuse is similar for that of cocaine, methamphetamines and other stimulants. When looking for a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center for minors or adults you need to find a center that is not going to make the situation worse than it already is. Talk to a professional not just salespeople from rehab centers, learn the truth about the centers from a natural third party that can help you find the help you need.
For help with ADD or ADHD medication abuse please call today we can help.
1-877-744-3536
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Addiction
To speak to an addiction counselor call 1-877-744-3536
Prescription Drug Abuse: Legal and Dangerous
Rapid Detox
Rapid Detox
Ultra Rapid Detox, or Rapid Drug Detox, is a somewhat newer alternative for drug rehab that involves putting a patient who is addicted to opiates, prescription painkillers or other habit-forming drugs under a general anesthesia in a hospital. This is done with anesthesiologists and nurses who are trained to perform this type of procedure.
Once under the general anesthesia, the patient is given a drug that counteracts the drug to which he or she is addicted. While the person is in this drug-induced coma, he or she can avoid experiencing the various physically painful and uncomfortable aspects of detox, such as shaking, sweating and delirium tremors. The body goes through some of this process while the person is still in a drug induced coma. When the person is taken out of the Drug induced coma it is not the end of all withdraw symptoms, the addict is still going to be very uncomfortable and still experience many of the same symptoms of withdraw as he would have without going through the drug induced coma.
Though the owners of these clinics make rapid detox an attractive alternative to traditional methods, it must be noted that therapy and other related aids to recovery are also needed. Lifestyle changes will need to be made and a patient must take responsibility for his recovery and understand his disease so that he can successfully manage his now sober life. Psychological triggers have to be addressed and healthy coping skills adopted.
A recovering addict must learn a new routine; otherwise he may slip back into old patterns that lead to his drug use and addiction. Daily habits may need to be restructured so that reminders of his past drug use do not bombard him.
With a sudden change, such as occurs from Rapid Detox, it may be harder for the patient to avoid returning to drugs than if he was weaned gradually. Such a quick and painless detox could be compared to an antidote. It can be argued that this kind of detox is not as effective as one in which the addict has to endure the physical withdrawal. Some think it is necessary to work through it and learn that if he or she goes back to the destructive behavior again, those are the consequences that will be suffered the next time.
Finally, as promising as this may be, it is not considered to be a mainstream form of treatment for addictions. There are many others available which are successful and much easier for a person to gain access. Also, there is always a risk to the patient who is put under a general anesthesia. For those considering a treatment option such as rapid detox, it would be wise to weigh the various alternatives in treatment that are available and speak to qualified professionals in order to make an informed decision.
For more information about rapid detox and to speak to a professional drug and alcohol counselor please call:1-877-744-3536
Adamant Denial
How to find the Right Drug or Alcohol Rehab
Finding the right “Drug or Alcohol Rehabilitation Center” for your loved one is not an easy process, you search the Internet and call center after center and all you hear is "we are the best Rehabilitation Center for your loved one." Every place you call is "The Best" if you listen to the sales people from the centers. Make no mistake these people for the most part are "Sales People" and they are paid to get you into that specific program.
ADHD and ADD Medication and Addiction
Prescription Dependency
"We actually knew from some experiments back in the 1960s that you could have dependence… addiction to benzodiazepines but only on high dose. Later it became apparent that some people were having problems trying to stop and that they weren’t on high doses; and then the whole question arose: can you actually get dependent – can you actually become addicted – to normal therapeutic doses? And then the alarm bells started to ring, quietly at first and then louder and louder. Doctors were not well equipped to deal with this.
This was something new in their experience. They don’t like dealing with chronic drug use or addiction anyway and here they were being confronted by hundreds in their practices – who they had put on the tranquillisers – and were now coming for help to come off. And I think they were bewildered by the numbers and severity of some of the reactions. The main characteristic of these dependent people was that when they tried to stop, they didn’t just get their old symptoms back in an exaggerated form, they developed new symptoms which they had not experienced before.
Some people are put on to these tranquillisers not because they are anxious or have insomnia, they can’t sleep, it’s because they have muscle spasms – they’ve been injured in some way – they’ve had a skiing accident, or they’ve got a bad back. And they’re put on and they’ve had no psychiatric history, they’ve had no anxiety, no insomnia, and yet they’re just as likely to show dependence and withdrawal when they stop as those with a previous psychiatric history."
– Source Professor Malcolm H Lader
For Addiction Treatment Call 1-877-744-3536