You can’t turn on the news without hearing about the opioid crisis in America. Thousands of people overdose on opiates every day. Opiate drugs are not just heroin. Prescription opiate medications are becoming the new heroin: dangerous, easy to obtain, and fatal. Prescription opiates are most commonly prescribed for the relief of moderate to severe pain.

The most widely used opiate pain medications are:

• Vicodin
• Fentanyl
• Dilaudid
• Morphine
• Oxycontin
• Tylenol 3

There are also non-opiate based pain medications that are on the market. These medications are considered synthetic opioids. Some of the non-opiate based medications can cause dependency and can potentially be harmful and addicting.

Common non-opiate based medications are:

• Tramadol
• Codeine
• Methadone
• Percocet

Researchers estimate that about 1 million people in the United States are addicted to prescription pain medication. Since the late 1990’s, instances of accidental overdoses have practically quadrupled. As of 2017, overdose from prescription pain medications have become the number one cause of drug related deaths.Doctors prescribe pain medication for pain related ailments.

These ailments include:

• Arthritis
• Cancer
• Dental issues
• Back pain
• Fibromyalgia
• Bronchitis
• Recovery from accidents and other traumas
• Terminal illnesses

Pain medications have legitimate uses for the treatment of chronic pain and terminal illness. However, dependency to these drugs is a serious issue. The pharmaceutical industry is the entity responsible for manufacturing these types of medications. The pharmaceutical industry markets pain medications to doctors and the doctors prescribe pain medications to patients.

Pain medications can be dangerous because they are physically addicting.When someone is taking pain medications for the treatment of an illness, tolerance happens. Tolerance occurs when you need more of a substance, even a medication, in order to achieve the same results. Essentially, if you continue taking pain medications, you will need more in order to get pain relief. By the time you need more of the medication, you have developed dependence.

When you develop tolerance, you will experience withdrawal if you stop taking the medication. Withdrawals are painful and uncomfortable. The only relief for withdrawals is to detox your system. Many people with pain medication addictions end up using heroin because the cost of prescriptions is high and doctors may not continue prescribing pain medications.

If you think that you are abusing your medication or have even accidentally developed a dependency, you must seek help. Your best chance at successful recovery for pain pill addiction is to enter a detox and seek treatment with an addiction specialist.

Having a pain pill dependency does not make you a bad person, the characteristics of these medications are physically addicting. At The Kimberly Center, we care about your health. Call us now at 855-4-KCENTER. We are committed to putting you first. At the Kimberly Center, our clients are in trusted hands.