Dealing With Addiction To Pain Medication

Oxycontin is a narcotic pain reliever. It is prescribed to treat moderate to severe pain. This pain killer is prescribed by a doctor and a person should use it carefully and not share it with any person who may have had drug abuse problems. It is very easy for someone to be addicted to this pain medication if they consume the drug for long and a person should seek treatment once they realize that they are over dependent on the drug.

If a doctor has prescribed this pain medication, you should not stop using the drug suddenly as this can lead to withdrawal symptoms that can make a person be addicted to the drugs. It is important that you seek the advice of a doctor on how to stop using the drug. Sometimes however, even after finishing the prescription some people may still want to use the pain medication. This may lead to an addiction where a person depends greatly on the drugs every time they have the slightest pain.

Treating addiction to pain medication is a process that has several phases. The first phase is usually detoxification that is supervised by a medical practitioner. The effects of the detox are severe and they include withdrawal, intense pain and nausea. Sometimes the doctor may administer medication to mitigate the illnesses arising from the withdrawal process.

Behavior modification is the next step of the treatment after a successful detox program. A person is likely to see pain medications and prescriptions in every day life unlike other illegal drugs like cocaine and heroine, thus it is normally harder for a person addicted to oxycontin to effectively get over the addiction. Through group and personal counseling sessions, patients are able to recover from the addiction and have a different view of prescription drugs.

Pain medications like oxycontin are usually prescribed to a person to relieve pain. Sometimes a person may become too dependent on the drug such that they cannot do without it. Being addicted to any drug is dangerous, one should thus seek medical help or a family can carry out an intervention for an addict.

Dangerous of Opiates

Opiates are a very common drug of choice. It is becoming easier and easier to find pain relievers now. It seems like hospitals and doctors offices where handing them out left and right. Now medical places have realized what was going on. Opiate dependency is common and just about every rehab will help with drug users that are addicted to pain pills.

Some of the users did not intend on getting hooked on pain pills but ended up doing so because of an injury they had sustained and needed them for. The user becomes so dependent on them that they continue to use even after the pain is gone. You can tell if someone is abusing this type of drug when there usage increase and they have built a tolerance up to it.

Withdrawals from these drugs can be horrendous. Once a user quits using or runs out of their pills they can experience things like cramps, hot and cold chills, tremors, pain, sweating, and a lot of symptoms that mimic the flu. Many suffer from weakness and nausea, and vomiting. There are also mental effects that come into play when a user quits or runs  out.

Things like not wanting to live anymore and attempting suicide is common. Dehydration, anxiety, paranoia, insomnia, depression, and cravings. More serious side effects can range from stroke, seizures, heart attack, and dehydration. Withdrawals can range from a couple days to weeks.

It is better for a user to detox under medical supervision in case there are complications during the detox period. If you or someone you know is addicted to opiates get help as soon as possible. Side effects long term and short term can become extremely dangerous. There are many rehab facilities that will take an opiate user into their facility.