Prescription Drug Rehab and Addiction in Mesa, AZ
Prescription drugs can be just as addictive as illegal drugs – sometimes even more so. From pain medications to sedatives to stimulants, Drug Detox Centers Mesa offers connections to medical detox, therapy, and more to help people overcome their addictions to prescription drugs.
Understanding Prescription Drug Addiction in Mesa
According to a report on the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), drug treatment admissions for medications such as opiates has increased from 3 percent in 2008 to 8 percent in 2013. Addictions to the pain-relieving medications oxycodone and hydrocodone are the most-cited prescription drugs of abuse. Oxycodone specifically is the fifth-most cited drug responsible for treatment admissions in Maricopa County after drugs such as methamphetamine (meth) and heroin. The numbers of those addicted to opioids is followed by benzodiazepines (also sometimes called sedatives), which include alprazolam (Xanax) and clonazepam (Klonopin).
According to a statement from the coordinator for the Southwest National Meth and Pharmaceutical Initiative, an increasing number of emergency room visits and overdose deaths have been due to prescription medications in Maricopa County.
Effects of Prescription Drug Abuse
Prescription drug abuse, especially painkiller abuse, can be deadly. Painkillers reduce a person’s natural drive to breathe. If a person takes too much of a particular pain medicine, they can stop breathing. This can cause them to slip into a coma-like state where, if their brain is deprived of oxygen for too long, they will die.
Some people abuse prescription drugs by crushing and dissolving them before injecting them. In these instances, the risk for adverse health effects is multiplied because a person is at greater risk for effects such as endocarditis, an infection of the heart, and risk for infections related to sharing needles, such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.
In addition to these effects, abusers of any prescription drug are vulnerable to effects such as kidney infections, seizures, memory problems, paranoia, malnutrition, and brain damage.
Abuse of prescription drugs is also illegal. Those addicted will often use methods such as stealing or forging prescriptions or “doctor shopping” to try and obtain more prescriptions. These behaviors could be met with jail time if a person is caught.
Treatment for Drug Abuse and Addiction
Drug Detox Centers Mesa offers connections to treatments for prescription drug addictions to help those who are struggling and often cannot overcome an addiction without assistance. If you have tried in the past and failed to overcome your addiction to a particular prescription drug, professional treatment and support for relapse prevention is vital. Examples of treatments include:
• Benzodiazepine abuse, such as Xanax, Ativan, and Klonopin
• Opioid abuse, such as hydrocodone, oxycodone, methadone, Suboxone, and morphine
• Stimulant abuse, such as Adderall and Ritalin
Holistic Treatment Can Work
Detox centers use medically based research and proven alternative therapies to develop a plan for each patient struggling with addiction to prescription opioids. An individualized approach is one of the most important aspects to successful treatment, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Treatment often starts with the medical detox process. This can include helping a person withdraw from a particular medication or creating a tapering plan that involves slowly reducing the use of a particular drug so a person doesn’t experience as significant of withdrawal symptoms. After this most acute phase when a person breaks his or her addiction to a prescription drug, they are then able to move on to treatments to break the mental addiction. Examples can include psychotherapy and more.
Drug Detox Centers Mesa has helped many residents of Mesa and beyond overcome their addictions to prescription drugs. Call our recovery advocates today at (480) 750-2471 for more information on how we can help you.