It can be hard to spot someone who abuses prescription drugs ; mainly because the prescription drug being abused does not necessarily need to be taken on a daily basis. The pattern of abuse may be occasional or habitual. Most prescription abusers don’t even recognize that they are addicted or abusing their prescriptions because of the fact that it’s a prescription drug; a drug prescribed by their doctor. They feel if the drug is prescribed by a doctor, then that gives them a perfect reason to use the drug as often as they see fit and usually more than what is necessary. This makes it extremely difficult for them to recognize that they may be in need of drug rehab . The most commonly abused prescription drugs are Ambien, Hydrocodone, Vicodin and Xanax.
Ambien addiction is the most difficult to recognize, the abuse is kept private between the user and the pill, mostly because Ambien, a sedative hypnotic, is not considered a shadowy drug that can be resold on the streets, and because it is a mild sleeping pill, which is not normally addictive. But, an addiction to Ambien can develop after an extended period of use. Hydrocondone, which is a narcotic, is highly addictive and the use needs to be closely monitored by a doctor. It is estimated that Hydrocodone is the most abused prescription drug in the United States. In the last ten years, emergency rooms visits have soared 500% due to hydrocodone abuse. Its effectiveness in eliminating pain is exactly why this prescription drug is addictive and abused.
Vicodin, which is Hydrocodone mixed with non-narcotic ingredients, is another of the most commonly abused prescription pain medications and it’s one of the most widely prescribed medications. Vicodin is a derivation of opium, which is used to manufacture heroin. People with an addiction to Vicodin become deeply depressed and their attention, judgment and thinking become impaired. Vicodin addiction by an individual truly feels physical pain, but it’s psychologically in nature. The more the Vicodin is taken, the more tolerance the body develops, leading to taking more amounts of Vicodin. Most Vicodin addicts are completely aware of their addiction, or are too embarrassed to do anything about it, mainly because they are pillars of the community, or upright citizens who’ve never dealt with an addiction before, or they don’t want their public image tarnished.
Xanax is a prescribed tranquilizer that depresses the nervous system. This prescription drug is a preferred drug to sell on the streets and is being abused by young people who want to get high. Since they are too young to buy alcohol, young people will instead take Xanax, which has the same effects as alcohol. But, what’s even more alarming is they are mixing Xanax with other substances from cocaine to alcohol. These teenagers and young 20-somethings mostly get Xanax from their parents medicine cabinets.