Prescription Drug Dependency - Don't Let It Destroy You!

The misuse and abuse of prescription drugs is proliferating in our community, most commonly amongst youthful people who have little idea of what they are consuming! They use 'uppers' to pick themslves up, and 'downers' to settle themselves back down, regularly with startling, and on occasion lethal, results.

Most folks who take prescription medications use them responsibly. However, the inappropriate or non-medical use of prescription drugs is a serious public health issue. Non-medicinal use of prescription meds like opioids, central nervous system (CNS) depressants, and 'uppers' can lead to addiction, characterized by compulsive drug cravings and use.

Patients, doctors, and pharmacists all have roles to play in preventing ill use and addiction to prescription medicines. Patients should read all information provided by the pharmacologist. Healthcare providers must monitor for any type of drug abuse during standard history-taking, with questions concerning which prescriptions and over-the-counter (OTC) medications the patient is taking and why, and ought to note any rapid increases in the amount of a medication needed or frequent requests for refills before the quantity intended must have been used, as these may be signs of abuse.

While many prescription drugs can be abused or misused, these three classes are most commonly abused:

* Opioids - repeatedly intended to treat pain.

* CNS Depressants - used to treat anxiety and sleep disorders.

* Stimulants - prescribed to treat narcolepsy and attention-deficit disorder.

Opioids

Optoids are commonly prescribed because of their effective analgesic properties. Studies have proven that appropriately administered medical use of opioid painkilling compounds is safe and hardly ever results in addiction.
Taken exactly as directed, opiates can be used to control pain efficiently. Among the compounds that fall within this class - occasionally referred to as narcotics - are morphine, codeine, and related medicines.

Morphine is repeatedly used before or after medical operations to alleviate severe pain. Codeine is used for milder pain.

Opioids act by attaching to specific proteins termed opioid receptors, which are found in the brain, spinal cord, and intestinal tract. When these compounds affix to particular opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord, they can effectually change the way a person experiences pain.

Opioids act by attaching to particular proteins known as opioid receptors, which are found in the brain, spinal cord, and intestinal tract. When these compounds affix to specific opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord, they can efficiently change the way a person experiences pain.

In addition, opioid medications can influence regions of the brain that arbitrate what we perceive as satisfaction, resulting in the initial euphoria that many opioids produce. They can also have the effect of producing tiredness, result in constipation, and, depending upon the quantity taken, depress breathing. Taking a sizable single dose may very well be a cause of severe respiratory depression or even death!

Opioids may interact with other meds and are only safe to use with other medicines under a general practitioner's regulation. Typically, they should not be used with substances such as alcohol, antihistamines, barbiturates, or benzodiazepines.

Since these drugs slow breathing, their combined results may lead to life-threatening respiratory failure. Long-term use also can lead to physical dependence, where the body gets used to the existence of the substance and withdrawal side effects occur if use is reduced abruptly. These indicators can include 'tolerance', which means that greater doses of a medication must be taken to achieve the same initial effects.

Central Nervous System (CNS) Depressants

Central CNS depressants slow normal brain function. In larger doses, some 'downers' can become general anesthetics. Tranquilizers and sedatives are instances of CNS depressants.

There are many CNS depressants, and most act on the brain similarly - they make changes to the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Neurotransmitters are brain chemicals that facilitate communication between brain cells. GABA operates by reducing brain activity.

Although diverse types of depressants work in unique ways, ultimately it is their capacity to escalate GABA activity that yields a tired or calming result. Despite these helpful results for folk afflicted by nervousness or sleep disorders, barbiturates and benzodiazepines can be addictive and should be used only as intended.

CNS depressants ought to not be combined with any medication or substance that causes drowsiness, including prescription pain meds, specific OTC cold and hypersensitivity meds, or alcohol. If combined, they can slow breathing, or slow both the heart and breathing, which can be fatal.

CNS depressants ought to not be combined with any medication or substance that results in sleepiness, including prescription pain meds, particular OTC cold and allergy drugs, or alcohol. If combined, they can slow breathing, or slow both the heart and respiration, which can be deadly.

Discontinuing protracted use of high amounts of CNS depressants can lead to withdrawal. Because they work by slowing the brain's activity, a potential outcome of abuse is that when one stops consuming a CNS depressant, the brain's activity can rebound to the point that seizures can ensue. Someone thinking about ending their use of a CNS depressant, or who has stopped and is afflicted by withdrawal, must talk with a physician and seek medical treatment.

Stimulants

Stimulants increase alertness, attentiveness, and energy, which are accompanied by increases in blood pressure, pulse rate, and breathing. Historically, 'uppers' were used to treat asthma and other lung problems, overweightness, neurological disorders, and a variety of other illnesses.

As their potential for abuse and addiction became apparent, the use of stimulants started to wane. Now, 'uppers' are prescribed for treating only a few health conditions, including narcolepsy, attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and depression that has not responded to other therapies. Stimulants may also be used for short-term treatment of obesity and for people with asthma.

Stimulants such as dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine) and methylphenidate (Ritalin) have chemical structures that are similar to key brain neurotransmitters called monoamines, which consist of norepinephrine and dopamine. Stimulants escalate the levels of these chemicals in the brain and body. This, in turn, increases blood hypertension and pulse rate, constricts blood vessels, increases blood glucose, and opens up the pathways of the respiratory system. In addition, the increase in dopamine is connected with a sensation of elation that can accompany the use of 'uppers'.

Research shows that people with ADHD do not become addicted to stimulant meds, such as Ritalin, when taken in the form and dosage intended. However, when misused, 'uppers' can be habit forming.

The results of stimulant abuse can be extremely dangerous. Taking high doses of a stimulant can result in an uneven heartbeat, seriously high body temperatures, and/or the potential for heart failure or fits. Taking high doses of some stimulants frequently over a short period of time can lead to hostility or feelings of fear in some individuals.

Stimulants should not be mixed with antidepressants or OTC cold medicines containing decongestants. Antidepressants may improve the results of a stimulant, and 'uppers' in combination with decongestants may cause blood pressure to become treacherously high or lead to sporadic heart rhythms.