Addiction To Sleep Medications

 

It is estimated that close to a third of all Americans do use sleeping pills as a remedy to various sleeping conditions such as insomnia. These sleep medications do offer relief to the numerous sufferers of Insomnia which is a nasty condition. The danger lies in the fact that due to prolonged usage there is a possibility of developing an addiction.

Addiction to sleeping pills refers to the level of dependence on the drugs such that any attempt to stop taking the medication results in withdrawal symptoms just like any other drugs. The truth of the matter is that no one sets out to be an addict to these pills. It often starts out as a prescription remedy for various sleep disorders. The feeling created by sleeping pills is similar to that of alcohol or drugs and the user may start using the sleep medication to escape their problems.

There is a real danger in getting addicted to sleeping pills. Drugs such as Lunesta, Sonata, or even Ambien are good in the treatment of various sleeping conditions but abuse of the same will result in the following. Loss of interest in hobbies, inability to reduce the dosage of sleeping pills, withdrawal symptoms, denial, defensiveness about the use of drugs, increased neglect of their personal duties and responsibilities, neglect of persona; hygiene, and increased tolerance to the drug.

The treatment of the addiction to sleeping pills is done by gradually reducing the amount of pills taken till the user is off the drugs completely. The reason why this is so is that getting off the medication is the only safe treatment option. The user slowly gets off the drug by gradually reducing the dosage to avoid any withdrawal symptoms. Long term addiction may require an actual visit to a rehabilitation center to undergo a more intensive program to get off the addiction.

Prescription Drugs and Addictive Personalities?

Addicts are normally described as someone who is hooked on a dangerous drug such as heroine, marijuana or cocaine. But, there are people in this world, who are addicted to various things other than the aforesaid. It could be a simple thing as a game on a mobile phone or a more serious type of addiction to alcohol and tobacco. There are people who are also addicted to prescribed drugs: mostly psychiatric drugs and painkillers. People who get addicted to these prescribed drugs will usually have a hard time controlling or getting over their addiction.

Psychiatric drugs are usually said to cause addiction in patients more than any other drug category. These drugs will usually lead to a tolerance level in the body, where addiction would be the next eventual step. When it comes to the tolerance level, the patient will have to take more quantities of the drug, in order to get relief from the illness or disorder. That means the effects of the drug are weakened and the dosage would have to be increased to gain the initial effect. Unless the dosage level is increased, withdrawal symptoms are bound to develop in patients. Most common withdrawal symptoms include anxiety, agitation and muscle aches.

Opioid pain pills are prescribed more frequently for pain related issues and it has helped teenagers to easily get addicted to this drug. Opioid addiction in teenagers, is only second to Marijuana and this was revealed recently by a medical team, who conducted a research on the subject. 

Experts are not aware of the figures around prescribed drug addiction, but surely they confirm that it is on the rise. It is partly due to the availability of these drugs more freely. Most of the drugs could be obtained over the counter. It was not so, about 10-20 years ago. All this helps in prescriptions drugs causing addictive personalities.