Prescription drugs were intended to help patients improve their lives, but they have instead become a weapon of degradation for many Americans. Prescription medications are becoming more widely available, particularly among young people who can obtain them online or through their parents’ medical offices. Those who are addicted to prescription medicines in the United States must be provided with adequate services for rehabilitation. Prescription drug abuse is more likely in those who have multiple diagnoses or who have a mental illness in addition to an addiction disease. Any medicine used to treat anxiety or relieve symptoms has a significant risk of becoming addictive.
Prescription Drugs: What Are They?
Prescription pharmaceuticals are medications that are given to patients to address physical or mental illnesses. These medications can help people feel better if they are taken as prescribed. Misusing prescription drugs, however, can have a variety of negative consequences, such as addiction, medical or mental health issues, or overdose.
Types of Prescription Drugs
Depressants
Depressants are drugs that affect the central nervous system. Sedative-hypnotic medicines like barbiturates and benzodiazepines, as well as the “Z-drugs,” which are used to treat insomnia, are examples of CNS depressants. Anxiety, sleep difficulties, seizures, and muscular spasms are all treated with CNS depressants by doctors and healthcare providers. Most antidepressants work by interacting with GABA receptors or boosting GABA transmission in some way. GABA is a neurotransmitter that acts as a signal in the brain and body, increasing inhibition while decreasing excitement. As a result, anxiety levels may be reduced, and sleep and sedation may be improved. In the first few days after starting to take CNS depressants, some people may feel sleepy and uncoordinated. Other negative consequences of use and abuse include:
• Slurring.
• A lack of focus.
• Memory problems
• Confusion.
• Dizziness.
• Headache.
Opioids
Doctors may prescribe opioids, sometimes referred to as painkillers, to relieve severe and/or persistent pain. Opioids attach to specific receptors in the brain, disrupting pain signals sent from the body to the brain and dulling pain perception. Dopamine, a brain-signaling chemical involved in reward and reinforcing behaviors, is similarly increased by opioids. Prescription pain relievers may have the following side effects:
• Constipation.
• Slurring.
• Inability to pay attention
• Slower breathing
• Vomiting or nausea
• Sleepiness.
• Scratching the skin with your fingers.
Stimulants
Stimulants impact the degree of activity in a few different neurotransmitter systems, including norepinephrine and dopamine, and hence change certain forms of brain transmission. Norepinephrine is a neurotransmitter that plays a role in physiological functions such as heart rate and respiration, as well as modulating the body’s “fight-or-flight” response. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter involved in reward, motivation, and behavior reinforcement.
Why Do People Abuse Prescription Drugs?
According to some academics, more people are abusing prescription medicines now that they are more widely available. According to statistics, doctors are prescribing more than ever before. Additionally, finding online pharmacies that sell these prescription medications is simple. Prescription medicines can be taken from their parents’ medicine cabinets by teenagers to use on themselves or their pals. Many teenagers have no idea what prescription drugs they’re taking or which ones, when combined with other prescription drugs or alcohol, might cause major consequences, if not death. They may also believe that they are healthy because the pills are prescribed.
Few Words from Mallard Lake Detox
Mallard Lake Detox Center is a rehab facility in Houston that offers treatment to almost all kinds of addiction. Visit us today if you or someone you love is battling prescription addiction.