Prescribing an Addiction
If you or someone you care about has had surgery, struggled with severe anxiety or panic disorders, it’s easy to appreciate how beneficial prescription medications can be. Sadly, some of the medications that help people also have a very high potential for abuse. Over the past two decades, the need for prescription drug detoxes has risen exponentially. People often have a false impression that these drugs are harmless because a doctor or psychologist prescribed them. This is just not the case. Prescription drugs have become one of the most commonly abused and sought-after classifications of street drugs. More than 70% of current heroin addicts report that they started using opiates in pill form. When that became unmanageable due to prices, they moved to heroin, a cheaper and more potent alternative.
It is normal for someone to assume “if a doctor/therapist prescribed it and pharmacist gave it to me, then it must be safe!” This is not always the case. Many prescription drugs were not designed to be taken daily for an extended period of time. The longer someone is on a specific medication the higher their tolerance will become. It is possible to become physically dependant on prescription painkillers and benzodiazepines without ever taking more than the prescribed dose. If you or someone you care about have become physically hooked on pills and need help overcoming the withdrawals, call us today to learn more about our prescription drug detox.
A Cold Turkey Detox
Withdrawal can start just a few hours after the user’s last use for short-acting benzos, long-acting can take more than 24 hours. These withdrawals are extremely unpleasant and can cause intense physical and mental anguish. As time goes on and the user doesn’t use it again, their symptoms will become more and more severe. Benzo withdrawals start with mild sweating, crawling skin, racing thoughts, increased anxiety, drug cravings, and muscle spasms. As time passes these discomforts will become more severe. Extreme cold sweats cover the goosebump layered skin, as the struggling individual’s mind races. They will have an upset stomach, vomit frequently, and have uncontrollable bowel movements. Increased anxiety and mood swings will keep the individual restless. They will also experience muscle cramps, achy joints, watering eyes, and headaches. In severe cases, the individual is at a high risk of having a seizure which has the potential to be fatal.