Addiction Rehab Help

 

 

 

Drug abuse of any kind is dangerous and we are well aware of the effects of illicit drug addiction on society as a whole. But what if your drug dealer is your physician?

 

Prescription drug addiction is on the rise but people seem reluctant to talk about it One reason for this may be the fact that the family doctor is the one who prescribed the legal medications. Patients unwittingly believe that their prescription drugs are basically harmless simply because they came from a healthcare professional.

 

Since taking the medicine helps patients feel better, they start using these pills beyond the prescribed limits and without the knowledge or guidance of their doctors. Often what starts as pain management or short-term treatment for anxiety or sleep disorders with legal narcotics leads to addiction. Sometimes without the patient’s awareness until one day he realizes he cannot live without the drug and detox and drug rehabilitation is needed.

 

There are many prescription drugs that can be abused but the most common groups are opiates, depressants and stimulants. Doctors prescribe opiates to treat moderate to extreme pain, usually after a surgery or for an illness where pain is one of the symptoms. Medicines that fall in this group are OxyContin, Darvon, Precocet and Vicodin to name just a few of the more popular drugs.

 

Prolonged use of opiates often leads to addiction and physical dependence. Patients who suddenly stop using these drugs suffer bone and muscle pain, vomiting, restlessness and hot and cold flashes and in some cases seizure and death.

 

One of the biggest dangers with opiates is that the patient builds a tolerance over time and a higher dose of the drug is needed to achieve the desired effect. Taking larger doses of these drugs can cause respiratory problems and even death. Opiates when taken as prescribed and under medical supervision for a short period of time can be safe and beneficial. Addiction to this type of medication can come as soon as 7 to 10 days of continued use, (sometimes sooner every individual is different).

 

Doctors prescribe medication like Ativan, Diastat, Valium, Librium and Xanax to treat anxiety and sleep disorders. These drugs are as addictive as opiates and they have very difficult withdraw issues. This class of drugs is called Benzodiazepines and they should never be prescribed for longer than three months, these depressants work by slowing down or decreasing brain activity. Withdraw can include seizures and extreme confusion, the line between reality and fiction is sometimes blurred to a point of not knowing or not trusting people that are very close to you. Those who take these drugs feel calm or drowsy, thus it helps them overcome their anxiety or insomnia. If patients use these drugs on a long-term basis, the body develops tolerance to them. Larger doses are thus required to get the earlier calming effect and this leads to dependence. Without the drugs the patient is convinced he cannot relax or sleep.

 

 

Some people are prescribed stimulants to treat various problems like ADHD, obesity, asthma, depression and other ailments. Drugs such as Dexedrine, Ritalin and Adderall enhance brain activity, thus increasing alertness and energy. Use of these drugs leads to a spike in blood pressure and heart rate, which in turn gives the patient a sense of euphoria. Such wonderful feelings are difficult to pass up, which makes stimulants very dangerous to patients who are not being monitored closely.

 

Stimulant prescription drug addicts become hostile, paranoid and even violent. Irregular heartbeat, cardiovascular failure or seizures and death can occur when high doses of a stimulant drug are taken.

 

Prescription drug addiction can be treated, yet the availability of legal drugs, not only from physicians but even on the street can make recovery difficult, though far from impossible. The first step, as with any other form of addiction is to recognize the problem and find a suitable addiction rehabilitation program. Treatments consist of detoxification, in-patient addiction rehabilitation and follow up care. Detox is done under medical supervision and patients are normally given medication to ease the symptoms of withdrawal. The duration of detox varies, depending on the type of addiction that a person has.

 

Once a qualified drug rehab program is complete it is important to inform any new physicians you may consult that you had a problem with prescription drug abuse. This will allow the doctor to use care if ever there is a need once again to prescribe habit forming prescription drugs.

 

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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.

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