Accidental Prescription Drug Deaths on the Rise

In the last 20 years, prescription medication abuse has become the silent epidemic in the addiction world.

When Sober Living by the Sea started treating drug addiction and alcoholism in 1986, the main substances that we found our clients needed treatment for were alcohol and cocaine. Throughout the nineties, we witnessed the sinister rise of amphetamine abuse and became experts in meth addiction treatment by adjusting our treatment facilities and programs to cope with the special needs that meth addicts bring to our treatment facility. Now, in recent years we have seen an overwhelming spike in the abuse of prescription drugs including narcotic painkillers, sedatives, tranquilizers, and stimulants.

The death of actor Heath Ledger has brought to the forefront of the public's consciousness the dangers of prescription drugs being abused and leading to accidental deaths. This is most common with downer type medications including vicodin, oxycontin, oxycodone, percodan, percocet, ambien, zolpidem, xanax, alprazolam, ativan, lorazepam, valium, and morphine/hydromorphine derivatives. The danger is escalated when the person who is addicted to or abusing prescription medications combines their medication intake with alcoholic beverages.

A recent study of death certificates published in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine have shown that home deaths from drug errors are up dramatically in the last 20 years.
Deaths from medication mistakes at home increased from 1,132 deaths in 1983 to 12,426 in 2004. Adjusted for population growth, that amounts to an increase of more than 700 percent during that time.

The lead author of the study David P. Phillips of the University of California, San Diego stated that "The amount of medical supervision is going down and the amount of responsibility put on the patient's shoulders is going up."

The treatment programs at Sober Living by the Sea are equipped to handle the treatment of addiction to prescription painkillers like vicodin and oxycontin. Also, Sober Living by the Sea has created a program specifically for the treatment of addiction in mature adults called the Reflections Program.

There are a lot of new issues and roadblocks that occur with this new class of patients (often elderly) including denial and the difficulty of getting them to accept treatment. If you contact the Sober Living by the Sea administrative staff in your area, they will be able to help you assess the situation and put you in touch with an interventionist if necessary. They can also answer your questions about the process of entering treatment for you or a loved one.

Prescription Drug Addiction Treatment for Adults at Reflections in Newport Beach California

For information and treatment programs for adults of all ages, be sure to visit Sober Living by the Sea Individualized Treatment Centers which has information about customized treatment programs for men, as well as addiction and eating disorder treatment for women.

Prescription Drug Addiction is the fastest growing area of drug abuse in the world and one that you may not have heard much about. This is why we call it the invisible epidemic. Pharmaceutical drugs that are habit forming and lead to physical and psychological addiction can very loosely be classified as uppers and downers.

Downers a.k.a. Barbiturates, Depressants, Opioids, Morphine Derivatives

Prescription drugs known as "downers" loosely fall into two categories: barbiturates and opioids. Barbiturates are also known as Depressants and are originally prescribed by doctors to assist with issues like insomnia and anxiety. Opioids are morphine derivatives and are prescribed by doctors to assist the patient in coping with pain.

Both opioids and barbiturates foster physical and psychological dependence. Virtually all barbiturates and morphine derivatives have the effect of increasing the user's tolerance to the drug over time. This causes the user to take more and more of the medication to achieve the same effect. Users will begin to obsess about having more of the medication and might demonstrate an increase in abusing alcohol as well.

Benzodiazepines

Benzodiazepenes is the active drug in a newer class of "safer" barbiturates that has developed since the 1970s. The most common brand names of drugs that contain benzodiazepene, or a derivative of benzodiazepene or a drug similar to benzodiazepene include percodan/percocet, ambien, valium, klonopin, ativan, or xanax. Benzodiazepines are useful in treating anxiety, insomnia, agitation, seizure, and muscle spasms, as well as alcohol withdrawal.

Opioids and Morphine Derivatives

Opioids and morphine derivatives are prescribed by physicians for clients for pain relief. These drugs can be highly addictive both physically and mentally. The most commonly abused opioids and morphine derivatives include oxycontin, vicodin, lortab, lorcet, and norco.

Recovering from Addiction to Opioids and Benzodiazepines

Addiction to downers can have fatal consequences. Tragically, many of the adult clients we treat here in Orange County for chemical dependence to downers like percocet, oxycontin, ambien, or vicodin have become physically and mentally addicted to the substance without ever perceiving their use as irresponsible.

Many users will have begun their usage responsibly often having been prescribed the medication by their trusted physician after an accident, a life changing event, or an operation.

As time goes by the users feels dependent on the medication and will do anything to get more, even participating in illegal activities. Users of downer medications typically will exhibit anxiety about procuring more of the drug and experience mood swings as a result of their dependence on the prescription drug.

Users who abuse sedatives, painkillers, and tranquilizers in combination with alcohol are particularly at risk of an overdose. The combination of alcohol and a potent drug like ambien, vicodin, or any downer can cause the person to enter a coma or die.

Entering treatment here in Newport Beach for an dependency to prescription medications will likely be helped by going through a detox at a medical facility within the Reflections Program's trusted network of providers.

Uppers or Amphetamines

"Uppers" include drugs that stimulate the user (including diet medications). Some example of uppers includes adderall, dexedrine, and ritalin. There is also a rampant and growing pattern of abuse of illegal methamphetamines in the U.S. (aka . crystal meth, glass, ice, speed, crank). Users who are withdrawing from amphetamines will experience depression, stomach cramps, nausea or vomiting, "the shakes," and tiredness.

The use of amphetamines like adderall, dexedrine, and ritalin is psychologically addictive. Users become dependent on the drug to avoid the "down" feeling they often experience when the drug's effect wears off. This dependence can lead a user to turn to stronger and illegal stimulants such as cocaine or meth, or to larger doses of amphetamines to maintain a "high."

Recovering from Addiction to Amphetamine

Amphetamines cause a strong sense of dependence and the chemically dependent adult will often suffer from depression when they no longer have the drug in their system. Mature adults (and people of all ages) who are suffering from methamphetamine addiction often benefit from a lengthy medical detox which we can provide right here in the greater Los Angeles area. The dangers of using methamphetamine are very serious. There is a strong correlation between abuse of drugs like adderall, dexedrine, and ritalin and heart problems.

Reflections: A Special Treatment Center for Mature Adults

Here in Newport Beach, California, we have been treating adults for twenty three years and have identified the special needs of our mature adult clientèle. We have created a special caring and respectful addiction rehab program for adults who suffer from addiction to pharmaceutical drugs as well as alcohol and other drugs. Please do not hesitate to contact us so that we can help get you or your loved one on the road to recovery.

Our addiction treatment program in California is very effective at for all stages of recovery from detox through extended care and even outpatient care. Please do not hesitate to contact us as we will be more than happy to help you with you or you loved one's chemical dependency. We have experience counseling those in need from the pre-contemplation stage of seeking treatment, through the confrontation of a loved one and intervention process, and all of the way through extended continuing care check ups when our clients are years into their sobriety.