Prevention Of Of Drug Abuse

Just be prescribed a medication does not put you at risk for abuse or dependence. Abuse of prescription drugs is rare in people who need painkillers, tranquilizers or stimulants to treat a medical condition. But if you take a drug commonly abused, here are some things you can do to reduce your risk:

Make sure you get the right medication. When you see your doctor, make sure your doctor clearly understand your condition and signs and symptoms it causes. Ask your doctor if there is an extended release version of a drug or other drugs based on ingredients that have less potential for addiction.

Check with your doctor. Talk to your doctor at regular intervals to ensure that the medications you take work and you take the correct dose.

Carefully follow the instructions. Do not increase the dose of a medication on your own if you are not working - for example, if you take a pain medication is not enough to control pain, take no more.

I do not know what the drug is not so. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about the effects of the drugs you are taking, so you'll know what to expect.

Never use another person's prescription. Each person is different. Even if you have a similar medical condition, may not be the medication or dosage for you.

Prevent drug abuse among adolescents

Young people are at particularly high risk of abuse of prescription drugs. Follow these steps to help prevent your teen is abusing prescription drugs:

Discuss the risks with your kids. Highlight your teen that just because the drugs are prescribed by a doctor does not make them safe - especially if you have been prescribed for someone else, or if your child already has a prescription medication.

Set rules for your child's prescription medications. Enter your teen know that's not good to share medicines with others - or to take medications prescribed for others. Enter your teenager knows that taking the prescribed dose of medication and talk with your doctor before making any changes.

Keep your medications safe. Living in the amounts and stored in a locked medicine cabinet.

Proper disposal of medicines. Rinse opioid analgesics in the toilet. But it is dangerous to wash many other types of drugs. Instead, get them out of their original packaging and mix with coffee grounds, used kitty litter or other substances. Then place them in the trash. Before throwing medicine bottles, remove the label or mark any information as name, patient ID or order number.

Treatment Of Drug Abuse

Treatment options for abuse of prescription drugs vary.

Medicine

Withdrawal from opiates. Buprenorphine (Buprenex, Subutex) or methadone may be used to relieve the symptoms of opioid withdrawal. However, the use of these drugs to facilitate the withdrawal of opiate dependence in the absence of pain problems is strictly regulated and subject to strict and sometimes a special permit. Other drugs - including clonidine (Catapres), a drug primarily used for high blood pressure - can be used to help control the symptoms of opioid withdrawal.

Removal of sedative. If you have used prescription sedatives for a long period, it may take weeks or even months to decrease slowly. You may need other medications to stabilize your mood or with anxiety, and you'll have to work closely with your doctor.

Stimulant withdrawal. There are no approved drugs for the treatment of stimulant withdrawal. The treatment focuses on relieving usually withdrawal symptoms - such as sleep disorders, appetite and mood.

Consultation

Counseling - both individual counseling, group or family - is often useful. Besides helping to determine what factors may have led to the abuse of prescription drugs, counseling can help people gain the skills necessary to help prevent recurrence.

Symptoms Of Drug Abuse

Signs and symptoms of abuse of prescription drugs depends on the particular drug. The drugs most commonly abused are:

Opioid analgesics such as oxycodone (OxyContin) and those containing hydrocodone (Vicodin)

Sedatives and tranquilizers such as diazepam (Valium) and lorazepam (Ativan)

Stimulants such as methylphenidate (Ritalin), used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and sleep disorders

Causes Of Drug Abuse

Adolescents and adults are abusing prescription drugs for a number of reasons. Some of these include:

To feel good or get high

To relax or relieve tension (analgesics and sedatives)

To reduce appetite (stimulants)

To experience

To be accepted by peers (peer review) or be a social

To be sure - it's a misconception that prescription drugs are safer than street drugs

To be legal - it is wrong thinking that taking prescription medications without a prescription is legal

To feed an addiction

Obtaining prescription drugs

Most prescriptions are written for people who have a genuine medical need for these drugs. But many families have a box or a closet full of old bottles of prescription drugs has remained. Since they are prescription drugs for medical use, adolescents often these drugs are an alternative way to drugs.

In some cases, a doctor's prescription is not necessary. Some countries do not require a prescription for opioid analgesics and other drugs commonly abused, so they can be some sites without a prescription. How drugs online pharmacies that do not require a prescription can be dangerous. Some websites sell counterfeit drugs that contain potentially hazardous substances.

Drug Abuse Overview

Abuse of prescription drugs is the use of a prescription drug in a way not intended by the prescribing physician. Abuse of prescription drugs include everything from taking the prescription painkiller from a friend for your back pain to sniff the ground up pills to get high.

A growing problem, the abuse of prescription drugs is particularly common among young people. The prescription drugs most often abused are painkillers, sedatives for anxiety disorders and sleep, and stimulants for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Identification of the use of prescription drugs early may help solve the problem before it gets worse or becomes an addiction.