Prescription Drug Addiction: Signs, Symptoms, and Treatment  

Prescription drugs, they’re a double-edged sword. On one side, these medications help billions of people around the world manage chronic conditions like pain. On the other hand, these drugs have huge potential for misuse and abuse.

With the ongoing opioid crisis, and the cartels flooding America with fentanyl-laced pills, it looks like the prescription drug crisis will continue for some time. The NCDAS reports that 16.3 million people misuse these drugs, and 2 million of these users end up falling prey to addiction.

Misusing prescription drugs can lead you down a dark path in life, and prescription drug abuse will end up ruining your relationships, your motivation to work, and your joy in life. 

What are the Signs and Symptoms of Drug Addiction?

Addiction to prescription drugs takes you down a helter-skelter of emotions and thoughts, inducing mental illness in many users as it takes control of their thinking and actions, leading them to ill health, and the onset of many serious problems with their physiology and psychology.

Prescription drug abuse symptoms might be hard to spot in users during the first few months, or years, of their addiction. But your misuse of prescription drugs gets out of control and you start upping your dose, the side effects and signs of abusing these medications start to show up in your body and mind. 

The “DSM-5” by the American Psychiatric Association points out that the signs of abuse and its consequences vary regarding the type of substance abused, the user’s unique genetic makeup, their environmental influences, and co-diagnosed mental health disorders.

Physical Warning Signs of Prescription Drug Abuse

The abuse of prescription drugs takes a heavy toll on the body and mind, and the longer you stay in the midst of addiction, the bigger the adverse impact on your physical and mental health. The physical signs of abuse are usually easier to spot and develop faster than the psychological effects of these drugs. Here’s a few to watch out for.

• Bloodshot or glazed eyes.
• Dilated or constricted pupils.
• Sudden changes in the user’s personal hygiene.
• Changes in the skin’s texture and look.
• Fast weight loss, especially in the case of stimulant abuse.
• Sleep disturbance and insomnia, or oversleeping.

Behavioral Warning Signs – Signs of Prescription Drug Addiction

Then we have the changes in the user’s behavior as they progress deeper into the throws of addiction. Substance use disorder changes your behavior patterns, and that’s noticeable to people who know you well. Our in-depth guide to substance use disorders can help you understand these behavioral shifts better.

• The user moves away from their old friends and joins a new social circle.
• They stop showing up at work or school and are often late when they do.
• There’s a notable drop in work or school productivity and performance.
• They shift their priorities around their addiction.
• They may devolve to criminal activities like stealing from family members, shoplifting, or robbing people to fund their addiction. 

Psychological Warning Signs

The changes in your psychology are slower to show up, but they’ll arrive sooner or later. Addicts may not even realize these changes are occurring.

• A shift in personality, not usually for the better.
• Lethargy, depression, and feelings of low self-worth.
• Increased aggression, frustration, and irritability.
• Development of anxiety which advances to paranoia and psychosis.

What are the Risk Factors for Abuse of Prescription Drugs?

Substance abuse disorder, especially regarding prescription meds, is a complex etiology. Medical science has a hard time nailing down why some people develop addiction problems, while others don’t. Some people may get addicted quicker and ramp up their abuse fast, while others don’t feel any addictive compulsion to overuse, it depends on the user’s unique brain chemistry and physiology. 

That said, there are some contributing risk factors that make some people more prone to drug abuse than others. 

• Genetics – If you have family with substance use disorder, like one or both of your parents, you’re at risk of following them down this dark path. 
• Personality traits – People who have a high-risk attitude to life are more predisposed to develop addiction.
• Brain chemistry – The action of the drug on your brain and the effect it has on neurotransmitter and hormone production.
• Peer pressure – Being around social circles that enjoy using drugs.
• Mental illness – Often there’s a co-occurring diagnosis between addiction and declining mental health.
• Trauma – You might find comfort in the high prescription meds offer, or use them to dull your senses to avoid negative emotions.

The Definitive List of Prescription Drug Addictions

Xanax Addiction – “Xannies” are one of the most abused prescription medications in the US and UK. It’s an anti-anxiety drug, with dangerously addictive properties. The issue with being addicted to benzodiazepines is that you can’t just quit them cold turkey, or you’ll end up experiencing seizures that could possibly kill you or put you in a coma. 

Hydrocodone Addiction – If you ever watched the show “House,” you’ll see this eclectic doctor slamming Vicodin like they’re M&Ms. It’s a powerful painkiller opioid that’s similar to oxycodone in the effects it has on users.

Oxycodone Addiction – This is the compound that spurred the opioid epidemic, sold under the brand name OxyContin, among others. It’s the granddaddy of the prescription pill craze, and many users find the short half life of the drug requires them to take more than their prescription accounts for, leading them to buy the drugs on the black market when their script runs out. Users often switch to heroin when they can’t afford the black market pills. 

Percocet Addiction – “Percs” are a blend of oxycodone and acetaminophen. It’s also highly addictive, and readily available on the black market. Withdrawal is similar to oxycodone.

Fentanyl Addiction – This synthetic opioid is the biggest public health crisis in America. It’s available in pill form readily in all states, and very popular due to its affordability and potency. Unfortunately, it’s easy to overdose on this drug, with a pinhead being enough to take your life. The cartels mix this potent opioid into black market pills like counterfeit Xanax, and unsuspecting users end up overdosing.

Xylazine Addiction – This animal tranquilizer flooded the US over the last three years, and users mix it with fentanyl to create “tranq.” Tranq causes users to develop tissue necrosis and gaping wounds, both around the injection site and in areas around the body where the user doesn’t inject. It causes the infamous “zombified” look of users hunched over and swaying.

Codeine Addiction – Codeine is probably most well-known as “lean,” “drank,” and many other monikers. It’s most popular in the hip hop scene and most users mix prescription cough syrup with soda to get high. It causes severe withdrawal symptoms that require medically managed detox. 

Adderall Addiction – This stimulant is similar to methamphetamine in its chemical structure and prescribed to treat ADHD. But many people misuse or abuse it to increase their productivity and performance at work or school. It’s big in student populations and in Silicon Valley where tech workers use it to motivate and focus them during long working hours.

Valium Addiction – Also known as “blues,” this drug is another benzodiazepine with high potential for abuse. It became a crisis in the UK and the US during the 60s, 70s, and 80s as many people abused it. It’s more common for people to use Xanax than Valium. Like all benzo’s, it requires tapering off the drug to avoid seizures.

There are several other less-common prescription drug addictions.

• Gabapentin Addiction.
• Tramadol Addiction.
• Doral Addiction.
• Librium Addiction
• Subutex Addiction
• Ativan Addiction
• Lortab Addiction
• Topiramate Addiction.
• Restoril Addiction.
• Focalin Addiction. 
• Concerta Addiction.
• Morphine Addiction. 
• Modafinil Addiction. 
• Meloxicam Addiction. 
• Naltrexone Addiction. 

What Are the Effects of Drug Addiction? 

Substance use disorder turns you from a functional, healthy human being into a shell of your former self. For a full look at substance abuse and addiction, explore our comprehensive guide. The effects of these drugs on your physiology and mind might take anywhere from months to years to fully materialize and the farther you go down the addiction path, the worse the symptoms and effects of the drug on your health and life. 

Prescription meds can be highly toxic, especially when misused and abused for extensive periods. You run the gambit when using these pills, and you could end up with permanent liver and kidney damage, changes to your gut health, a predisposition to infection, and cardiovascular problems.

Then there’s the effects the drugs have on your mind. There’s a proven relationship between substance use disorder and co-occurring mental health disorders like anxiety, psychosis, depression, and personality disorders. 

When you’re lost to addiction, you’ll find it hard to think clearly, your cognitive performance declines, and you find it hard to focus and make good decisions. Your memory starts to fade and you have a hard time with short-term memory recall. You’ll also become more impulsive, causing you to develop risky behavior. 

If you don’t reach out for help, your condition continues to deteriorate with every passing day until you find it hard to carry on with your life. 

Addiction to prescription meds also impacts your relationships. You’ll create conflict, isolate yourself from family and friends, and they’ll lose their trust in you. The same goes for your personal relationships with your partner, and you’ll drift away from them as your addiction grows. Then there’s the financial cost associated with funding your habit. You’ll drain your bank accounts and eventually end up broke, placing you at risk of a life of crime to fund your habit. 

But the biggest risk of abusing prescription medications is the threat of overdose. With the cartels producing counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl, you might end up overdosing, losing your life. 

Carrara: Ultra-Luxurious Inpatient Prescription Drug Addiction Treatment 

It’s time to turn your life around. Checking into a prescription drug rehab like Carrara gives you the best opportunity at a new start in life, free from the clutches of addiction. We offer inpatient (residential) detox and recovery facilities for prescription drug treatment based in the Hollywood Hills and Malibu. 

Entering recovery at a Carrara prescription drug addiction treatment center gives you the best chance of kicking your addiction for good. We’ll help you with medically managed detox to wean you off the drugs, and our counseling team help you deal with the psychological effects your addiction has on your mind and your behavior and actions.

Carrara prescription drug addiction rehab brings you luxurious accommodations in high-end locations in Southern California. You have everything you need in-house to recover. Escape your addiction and call us today at (323) 302-8170, we’re ready to help.