One of the most important things to remember when dealing with prescription drug abuse is just because it is legal to use prescription medication doesn’t mean that it is safe. Prescription drug abuse doesn’t come without long term effects. It can often lead down an undesirable path of consistent illness that negatively impacts your physical, mental, and emotional health.
Many prescription drugs come with the risk of addiction. It is important to discuss these risk factors with your doctor before beginning any prescription drug regimen.
Prescription Drug Abuse: Who Is at Risk?
Nobody is immune to addiction. The disease results from biochemical and physiological processes, and they aren’t unique to any person. While experts do not entirely understand why some people have a greater tendency to form an addiction than others, there are a few known risk factors that come into play.
- People who smoke or use nicotine products, along with those who have a history of alcohol misuse, are at a higher risk of falling into an addictive pattern when it comes to their prescribed medications.
- Those who have a close blood relative with a history of substance abuse raises the risk of prescription drug abuse. Science remains unsure regarding the genes that trigger this risk factor.
- Struggling with mental health issues may offer a higher risk of prescription drug addiction, mostly when left untreated.
- Age plays a factor in the risk of prescription drug abuse, specifically the age range of 18 to 25.
However, addiction is an incredibly complex and complicated illness. Physicians and therapists cannot determine a definite difference between those who will develop an addiction to prescription drugs and those who will not. Specific demographic groups may have a higher risk profile for developing an addiction to their prescription than others.
The Long-Term Effects of Prescription Drug Abuse
Drug abuse has various side effects; most of them arguably unpleasant. The mental and physical long term effects of improper use of prescription drugs vary from drug to drug, but they’re prominent nonetheless.
Prescription opioid abuse leads to rather severe mental and physical dependence, and it doesn’t take long for the body to form that dependency. During active addiction, if you reduce your drug dosage or immediately stop cold turkey, you can induce distressing symptoms of withdrawal. In the long run, patients can begin to suffer from a variety of withdrawal-fueled ailments such as liver damage and the possible worsening of mental health.
An addiction to prescription sleeping pills or tranquilizers can bring about a stretch of rebound insomnia, which is significantly challenging to treat. Damage to the liver is possible, as are symptoms of distress.
Prescription stimulants can cause a wide range of health problems, including chronic exhaustion and fatigue, cardiovascular damage, and sexual intimacy dysfunction. Long-term effects of prescription stimulant drug abuse lead to increased blood pressure and permanent changes to the way your heart functions.
Get Help for Your Prescription Drug Abuse Now at Renaissance Recovery
At Renaissance Recovery, we understand how critical prescription drug abuse treatment is and how crucial it can be to find help as soon as possible. When taken incorrectly, prescription drugs cause a lengthy battle to take back your mental and physical well-being.
From organ damage to permanent mental and physical impairment, prescription drugs can run the risk of an overdose if an addictive pattern goes untreated. Drug abuse treatment requires the management of the initial health problem, along with addiction.
The qualified professionals at Renaissance Recovery can help. Our comprehensive care and focused rehabilitation are essential to recovery. Contact Renaissance Recovery today by calling [Direct] or completing a convenient online form to discover more prescription drug abuse information. We are always available to support you in your journey to recovery.866.330.9449
