Prescription Drug Addiction
What are
prescription drugs?
Prescription drugs make complex surgery possible,
relieve pain for millions of people, and enable
many individuals with chronic medical conditions
to control their symptoms and lead productive
lives. Most people who take prescription medications
use them responsibly. However, the non-medical
use of prescription drugs is a serious public
health concern. Although many prescription drugs
can be abused or misused, there are three classes
of prescription drugs that are most commonly abused:
• Opioids, which are
most often prescribed to treat pain;
• CNS depressants, which are used to treat
anxiety and sleep disorders;
• Stimulants, which are prescribed to treat
the sleep disorder narcolepsy, attention-deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and obesity.
Opioids
What are opioids?
Opioids are commonly prescribed because of their
effective analgesic, or pain-relieving, properties.
Medications that fall within this class—sometimes
referred to as narcotics—include morphine,
codeine, and related drugs. Morphine, for example,
is often used before or after surgery to alleviate
severe pain. Codeine, because it is less efficacious
than morphine, is used for milder pain. Other
examples of opioids that can be prescribed to
alleviate pain include oxycodone (OxyContin),
propoxyphene (Darvon), hydrocodone (Vicodin),
and hydromorphone (Dilaudid), as well as meperidine
(Demerol), which is used less often because of
its side effects. In addition to their pain-relieving
properties, some of these drugs—for example,
codeine and diphenoxylate (Lomotil)—can
be used to relieve coughs and diarrhea.
How do opioids affect the
brain and body?
Opioids act by attaching to specific proteins
called opioid receptors, which are found in the
brain, spinal cord, and gastrointestinal tract.
When these drugs attach to certain opioid receptors,
they can block the transmission of pain messages
to the brain. In addition, opioids can produce
drowsiness, cause constipation, and, depending
upon the amount of drug taken, depress respiration.
Opioid drugs also can cause euphoria by affecting
the brain regions that mediate what we perceive
as pleasure.
What are the possible consequences
of opioid use and abuse?
Chronic use of opioids can result in tolerance
for the drugs, which means that users must take
higher doses to achieve the same initial effects.
Long-term use also can lead to physical dependence
and addiction—the body adapts to the presence
of the drug, and withdrawal symptoms occur if
use is reduced or stopped. Symptoms of withdrawal
include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia,
diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps
(“cold turkey”), and involuntary leg
movements. Finally, taking a large single dose
of an opioid could cause severe respiratory depression
that can lead to death. Many studies have shown,
however, that properly managed medical use of
opioid analgesic drugs is safe and rarely causes
clinical addiction, defined as compulsive, often
uncontrollable use of drugs. Taken exactly as
prescribed, opioids can be used to manage pain
effectively.
Is it safe to use opioid
drugs with other medications?
Opioids are safe to use with other drugs only
under a physician’s supervision. Typically,
they should not be used with other substances
that depress the central nervous system, such
as alcohol, antihistamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines,
or general anesthetics, as such a combination
increases the risk of life-threatening respiratory
depression.
Help! I have a loved one
that needs help with his or her addiction to opiods.
Many individuals have approached their loved one
regarding his/her drug addiction, with no success.
It may be helpful when talking with your loved
one, to have a third party present that is professionally
trained and knowledgeable about drug abuse and
addiction.
Addiction Intervention Resources
moves your family out of crisis and assists in
addressing your loved one’s drug addiction.
To read more information on our Drug Intervention Program, Click Here
CNS depressants
What are CNS depressants?
CNS depressants are substances that can slow normal
brain function. Because of this property, some
CNS depressants are useful in the treatment of
anxiety and sleep disorders. Among the medications
that are commonly prescribed for these purposes
are the following:
• Barbiturates, such as mephobarbital
(Mebaral) and pentobarbital sodium (Nembutal),
which are used to treat anxiety, tension, and
sleep disorders.
• Benzodiazepines, such as diazepam (Valium),
chiorodiazepoxide HC1 (Librium), and aiprazolam
(Xanax), which can be prescribed to treat anxiety,
acute stress reactions, and panic attacks; the
more sedating benzodiazepines, such as triazolam
(Halcion) and estazolam (ProSom) can be prescribed
for short-term treatment of sleep disorders.
In higher doses, some CNS depressants
can be used as general anesthetics.
How do CNS depressants affect
the brain and body?
There are numerous CNS depressants; most act on
the brain by affecting the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric
acid (GABA). Neurotransmitters are brain chemicals
that facilitate communication between brain cells.
GABA works by decreasing brain activity. Although
the different classes of CNS depressants work
in unique ways, ultimately it is through their
ability to increase GABA activity that they produce
a drowsy or calming effect that is beneficial
to those suffering from anxiety or sleep disorders.
What are the possible consequences
of CNS depressant use and abuse?
Despite their many beneficial effects, barbiturates
and benzodiazepines have the potential for abuse
and should be used only as prescribed. During
the first few days of taking a prescribed CNS
depressant, a person usually feels sleepy and
uncoordinated, but as the body becomes accustomed
to the effects of the drug, these feelings begin
to disappear. If one uses these drugs long term,
the body will develop tolerance for the drugs,
and larger doses will be needed to achieve the
same initial effects. In addition, continued use
can lead to physical dependence and—when
use is reduced or stopped— withdrawal.
Because all CNS depressants work
by slowing the brain’s activity, when an
individual stops taking them, the brain’s
activity can rebound and race out of control,
possibly leading to seizures and other harmful
consequences. Although withdrawal from benzodiazepines
can be problematic, it is rarely life threatening,
whereas withdrawal from prolonged use of other
CNS depressants can have life-threatening complications.
Therefore, someone who is thinking about discontinuing
CNS-depressant therapy or who is suffering withdrawal
from a CNS depressant should speak with a physician
or seek medical treatment.
Is it safe to use CNS depressants
with other medications?
CNS depressants should be used with other medications
only under a physician’s supervision. Typically,
they should not be combined with any other medication
or substance that causes CNS depression, including
prescription pain medicines, some over the-counter
cold and allergy medications, or alcohol. Using
CNS depressants with these other substances—particularly
alcohol—can slow breathing, or slow both
the heart and respiration, and possibly lead to
death.
Help! I have a loved one
that needs help with his or her addiction to CNS
depressants.
Many individuals have approached their loved one
regarding his/her drug addiction, with no success.
It may be helpful when talking with your loved
one, to have a third party present that is professionally
trained and knowledgeable about drug abuse and
addiction.
Addiction Intervention Resources
moves your family out of crisis and assists in
addressing your loved one’s drug addiction.
To read more information on our Drug Intervention Program, Click Here
Stimulants
What are stimulants?
As the name suggests, stimulants are a class of
drugs that enhance brain activity.They cause an
increase in alertness, attention, and energy that
is accompanied by elevated blood pressure and
increased heart rate and respiration. Stimulants
were used historically to treat asthma and other
respiratory problems, obesity, neurological disorders,
and a variety of other ailments. But as their
potential for abuse and addiction became apparent,
the medical use of stimulants began to wane.
Now, stimulants are prescribed for
the treatment of only a few health conditions,
including narcolepsy, attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder, and depression that has not responded
to other treatments. Stimulants may be used as
appetite suppressants for short-term treatment
of obesity, and they also may be used for patients
with asthma.
How do stimulants affect
the brain and body?
Stimulants. such as dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine)
and methylphenidate (Ritalin), have chemical structures
that are similar to a family of key brain neurotransmitters
called monoamines, which include norepinephrine
and dopamine. Stimulants increase the amount of
these chemicals in the brain. This, in turn, increases
blood pressure and heart rate, constricts blood
vessels, increases blood glucose, and opens up
the pathways of the respiratory system. In addition,
the increase in dopamine is associated with a
sense of euphoria that can accompany the use of
these drugs.
What are the possible consequences
of stimulant use and abuse?
The consequences of stimulant abuse can be dangerous.
Although their use may not lead to physical dependence
and risk of withdrawal, stimulants can be addictive
in that individuals begin to use them compulsively.
Taking high doses of some stimulants repeatedly
over a short time can lead to feelings of hostility
or paranoia. Additionally, taking high doses of
a stimulant may result in dangerously high body
temperatures and an irregular heartbeat. There
is also the potential for cardiovascular failure
or lethal seizures.
Is it safe to use stimulants
with other medications?
Stimulants should be used with other medications
only when the patient is under a physician’s
supervision. For example, a stimulant may be prescribed
to a patient taking an antidepressant. However,
health care providers and patients should be mindful
that antidepressants enhance the effects of a
stimulant. Patients also should be aware that
stimulants should not be mixed with over-the-counter
cold medicines that contain decongestants, as
this combination may cause blood pressure to become
dangerously high or lead to irregular heart rhythms.
Help! I have a loved one
that needs help with his or her addiction to stimulants.
Many individuals have approached their loved one
regarding his/her drug addiction, with no success.
It may be helpful when talking with your loved
one, to have a third party present that is professionally
trained and knowledgeable about drug abuse and
addiction.
Addiction Intervention Resources
moves your family out of crisis and assists in
addressing your loved one’s drug addiction.
To read more information on our Drug Intervention Program, Click Here or call our National Call Center 800.561.8158