San Jose Prescription Drug Detox

Prescription drugs serve many positive functions- they heal people from potentially life-threatening diseases, restore mental and physical functioning, keep symptoms of illness at bay, and allow millions of people to live healthy lives. Unfortunately, however, there are some prescription medications that are highly addictive, and when someone forms a prescription drug dependence, it can be extremely difficult to stop using certain medications that have become detrimental. These drugs are usually controlled substances, such as opiate, stimulant, barbiturate, or sedative medications.

Types of Addictive Prescriptions

In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has declared prescription drug dependence and abuse an epidemic (CDC.) In fact, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reports that Americans are abusing prescriptions in higher numbers, experiencing more emergency room visits due to overdoses and adverse prescription drug reactions, and are dying at much higher rates as the result of prescription drug abuse (NIDA.) According to the CDC, deaths directly caused by prescription opioid overdoses have quadrupled since 1999. In fact, opiates are what seems to be driving the majority of prescription drug dependence in the United States. However, there are other prescription medications that contribute to these trends. And, there is a wide variety of commonly prescribed medications that can result in prescription drug dependence. Some of these include:

• Opiates such as morphine, fentanyl, oxycodone (found in OxyContin and Percocet), hydrocodone (found in Vicodin), codeine (found in prescription cough syrups), methadone, and hydromorphone (found in Dilaudid)
• Stimulants such as amphetamine (found in Adderall), dextroamphetamine (found in Dexedrine), methylphenidate (found in Ritalin), and lisdexamfetamine (found in Vyvanse)
• Benzodiazepines such as alprazolam (found in Xanax), clonazepam (found in Klonopin), diazepam (found in Valium), and lorazepam (found in Ativan)
• Barbiturates such as pentobarbital (found in Nembutal), secobarbital (found in Seconal), phenobarbital (found in Luminal), and amobarbital (found in Amytal Sodium)
• Sedatives/Hypnotics such as zolpidem tartrate (found in Ambien)

These prescription drugs vary greatly in their effects, risks, and symptoms of drug dependence when it occurs.

Signs of Prescription Drug Dependence

Prescription drug dependence can be difficult to identify because many of these drugs are successfully prescribed and used to treat serious disorders. In fact, all of them have helped countless people to treat symptoms of disorders and regain normal physical and mental functioning. For example, Ambien is used to treat insomnia, Adderall is used to treat ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), barbiturates such as phenobarbital help to treat seizure disorders, Xanax and other benzodiazepines help manage anxiety, and prescription opiates like Percocet help chronic pain patients to find relief. Despite the legitimate medical uses of controlled prescription drugs and their clear benefits for many people, however, they all carry a risk of drug dependence.

It can be difficult to tell the difference between the use and abuse of medications. But there are some clear signs. Signs of prescription drug dependence include:

• Running out of medications early multiple times
• Needing or requesting extra refills or early refills
• Consistently taking more than the prescribed dose
• Being resistant to a doctor’s recommendations to try alternative medications or therapies to treat symptoms
• Using prescription drugs that aren’t prescribed to them
• Stealing prescription drugs from others
• Buying prescription pills on the black market or online
• Overdosing on prescriptions

If you or someone you love is showing signs of addiction to prescriptions, it is vital to seek treatment. Long-term abuse of these drugs or addiction to them can lead to serious physical and psychological consequences and even fatality. Getting help for a prescription drug dependence starts with detox. In these cases, it is absolutely essential that the individual seeks medical detox services rather than attempt to detox themselves. This is because most controlled prescription drugs can have painful, difficult, and even fatal withdrawal symptoms like seizures.

The Detox Process

Wellness Retreat Recovery offers inpatient detox for clients suffering from prescription drug dependence. Each client receives a thorough intake upon admission to assess their mental and physical health, to identify underlying conditions, and to determine their drug use history. This information helps to create an individual, comprehensive treatment plan for each client. For people suffering from prescription drug dependence, this is vital in order to address their addiction as well as any disorders that may have contributed to it.

Patients receive medications to ease their withdrawal symptoms, which may be very severe especially in cases in which patients have been taking the same prescription drugs for a long period of time. In addition to medication, our doctor partners monitor patients consistently to track symptoms and to address any issues that may arise. The therapeutic staff is also on board to help clients cope with the emotional aspect of detox.

After Prescription Drug Detox

Wellness Retreat Recovery offers services in order to help clients with dual diagnoses. This is especially important for patients with prescription drug dependence. This is because they may have an addiction to the very drugs which treat mental or physical health conditions. Through dual diagnosis care, we help patients address addiction and treat the conditions that may contribute to it.

For people dependent on prescription drugs, it’s not helpful to detox and ignores the issues that contribute to dependence or underlying conditions that may contribute to dependence. For example, a chronic pain patient who detoxes from opiates may have healed from their addiction. But, they still have a chronic pain condition that could be detrimental to their overall health and recovery. That’s why we offer non-addictive treatments for people who undergo detox for prescription drug dependence. This includes holistic and traditional therapy and non-narcotic medications. Medications include those to treat ADHD, insomnia, anxiety, chronic pain, or other disorder which can lead to drug dependence.

Treatment for Various Drug Dependences

At Wellness Retreat Recovery, we believe in comprehensive care. We firmly believe that any individual can be free of prescription drug dependence with access to effective treatments. Our clients deserve care that addresses all of their needs. With a professionally-supervised detox, counseling, aftercare planning, and treatment, we offer individuals the opportunity to break free of prescription drug addiction and still receive care for their entire selves, including any underlying disorders. A life free of addiction and chronic disorder symptoms is possible with comprehensive physical and behavioral care.