Prescription Drug Addiction: Are All Prescription Pills Addictive?
The rate of prescription drug addiction has skyrocketed over the past decade for every age group: teenagers, young adults, middle-aged adults and seniors are all struggling with addiction to prescription pills. Whether prescribed for chronic pain or anxiety, there are a number of different prescription drugs that are highly addictive. There are, however, also a number of other drugs that are non-addictive and perfectly safe to take. How do you tell the difference? How do you protect against prescription drug addiction? And if you or someone you love is already addicted to a prescription pill, how do you get help?
Addictive Prescription Pills: Opiates
Opioids are the deadliest group of addictive medications. Depending upon their potency, they are generally prescribed for acute pain after a surgery or for chronic pain like back pain or pain related to cancer treatment. After regular use, almost no one can avoid becoming physically dependent upon a drug in this class, but yet doctors prescribe them often. These include:
- Codeine and codeine combination prescriptions (i.e., oxycodone)
- Fentanyl (i.e., Atiq, Duragesic, Sublimaze)
- Morphine (i.e., Roxanol, Duramorph)
- Opium (i.e., laudanum, paregoric)
- Meperidine (i.e., Demerol)
Other generic opioid pain relievers include oxycodone, meperidine, hydromorphone, hydrocodone, and propoxyphene with brand names that include Tylox, OxyContin, Percodan, Percocet, Demerol, Dilaudid, Vicodin, Lortab, Lorcet, Darvon, and Darvocet.
Addictive Prescription Pills: Benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepines are central nervous system depressants that slow down the nervous system to prevent you from becoming anxious. Those who have panic attacks due to anxiety or seizures or experience increased anxiety before surgeries or other high-anxiety events are often prescribed benzodiazepines. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the primary issue, many who take drugs to ease anxiety often overuse their medication or fear living without it. This increases the length of the prescription as well as their tolerance, two factors that contribute to the development of prescription drug addiction.
The most commonly prescribed benzodiazepines include Alprazolam (i.e., Xanax, Xanor, Alprox, and Tafil), Diazepam (i.e., Valium, Apozepam, Hexalid, Stedon, Valaxona), Clonazepam (i.e., Klonopin, Rivotril, and Iktorivil) and Lorazepam (i.e., Ativan, Temesta, Tavor and Lorabenz).
What are the Most Commonly Abuse Prescription Drugs?
Codeine, OxyContin, Percocet, and Vicodin are the most commonly abused opiate painkillers and Xanax, Valium and Klonopin are the most commonly abused benzos. These are also the most commonly prescribed drugs in their classes. Ease of access and less monitoring by doctors means that more people are taking addictive painkillers for longer than necessary. Extra pills are often stored in common areas where teenagers can find them, contributing to teen drug addiction. Seniors are often given more pain medication than necessary due to the fast pace of the healthcare system and the need to get patients in and out as quickly as possible.
Prescription Drug Addiction Treatment
Whether you came to drug addiction through a doctor’s prescription or experimental use, there is help in prescription drug rehab. At Michael’s House, we offer an holistic program designed to help you break free from prescription drug addiction. Contact us today for more information.
