Prescription Drug Withdrawal Symptoms
- Opioids such as Vicodin, OxyContin and Darvon are prescribed to treat pain. When taken precisely as prescribed, opioids hardly result in addiction. Opioids can be administered by oral consumption, crushing the pills and snorting the powder, or injecting the drug. There have been a number of overdoses relating to the intravenous use of OxyContin. Adversely, opioids cause drowsiness, slow breathing and constipation. A large dose can cause extreme respiratory depression (inadequate ventilation) or death.
- Central nervous system (CNS) depressants such as tranquilizers and sedatives slow down the brain's function. Barbiturates such as Nembutal are used to induce sleep; benzodiazepines such as Valium are used to treat anxiety, and sleep medications such as Ambien are used to treat sleep disorders such as narcolepsy. Generally, CNS depressants are taken orally, giving the user a sleepy, relaxed effect. If combined with medications or substances that induce drowsiness, CNS depressants can cause slow breathing and fatality.
- Stimulants such as Adderall and Ritalin improve attention, energy and alertness. They can be orally consumed as tablets; however, some users inject them. Due to their high potential for abuse and addiction, stimulants are usually prescribed to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (AHDH), narcolepsy and depression that have been unsuccessfully treated. When consumed in high doses, stimulants can cause seriously high body temperature, irregular heart rate and/or seizures and cardiovascular shutdown.
- Withdrawal symptoms of opioids abuse include flu-like symptoms such as muscle and bone aches, restlessness, inability to sleep, vomiting, diarrhea, goose bumps deriving from cold flashes and kicking leg movements. When an individual stops taking CNS depressants, he may exhibit withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, muscle pain, irritability, nausea, tremors, hallucinations, high heart and respiration rates and seizures. Withdrawal from stimulants can result in fatigue, depression, insomnia and appetite loss. An individual addicted to prescription drugs should seek medical assistance so his dosage can be tapered off, instead of abruptly stopped. This reduces or prevents him from undergoing the painful, and sometimes fatal, withdrawal symptoms.
- According to the Monitoring the Future Survey (MTF), in 2008 15.4 percent of 12th graders used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons in the prior year. Per the National Survey on Drug Use and Health's (NSDUH) 2007 survey, 6.9 million individuals aged 12 or older had used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons in the prior month.