You usually do not get addicted to prescription medicines when you take them at the right dosage to treat your health condition.
Addiction means your body and mind are dependent on the drug. You are not able to control your use of it and you need it to get through daily life.
Drug use over a period of time can lead to tolerance. Tolerance means you need more and more of the drug to get the same feeling. And if you try to stop using, your mind and body may have reactions. These are called withdrawal symptoms, and may include:
Strong cravings for the drug
Having mood swings from feeling depressed to agitated to anxious
Not being able to concentrate
Seeing or hearing things that are not there (hallucinations)
Physical reactions may include headaches, aches and pains, increased appetite, not sleeping well
Life-threatening symptoms in long-time users of certain drugs
Treatment Options
Treatment begins with recognizing there is a problem. Once you decide you want to do something about your drug use, the next step is to get help and support.
Treatment programs use behavior change techniques through counseling (talk therapy). The goal is to help you understand your behaviors and why you use drugs. Involving family and friends during counseling can help support you keep you from going back to using (relapsing). Treatment programs also teach you how to better deal with situations that led you to use or to relapse in the past.
With some drug addictions, such as opioids, medicines may also be used to help reduce the effects of opioids on the brain. Other medicines may be used to lessen cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
If you have severe withdrawal symptoms, you may need to stay at a live-in treatment program. There, your health and safety can be monitored as you recover.
Your Ongoing Recovery
As you recover, focus on the following to help prevent relapse:
Keep going to your treatment sessions.
Find new activities and goals to replace the ones that involved drug use.
Spend more time with family and friends you lost touch with while you were using. Consider not seeing friends who are still using.
Exercise and eat healthy foods. Taking care of your body helps it heal from the harmful effects of drug use. You will feel better, too.
Avoid triggers. These triggers can include the people you used drugs with. Triggers can also be places, things, or emotions that can make you want to use again.
Call for an appointment with your health care provider if you or someone you know is addicted to prescription drugs and needs help stopping. Also call if you are having withdrawal symptoms that concern you.
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