Drug withdrawal: Prescription drug abuse in women

Women and Drug Abuse

Prescription drugs are widely used to treat numerous symptoms and elevate discomfort until the body’s defense system is able to fight off a disease. Prescription medication use turns into abuse when an individual starts depending on the drugs in everyday life. Although when taken in moderate amount most medications are not addictive there are instances in which the persons' symptoms are not cure and tolerance develops as a result. In case of women three kinds of medications are abused most often including depressants, stimulants, and opioids. Depressants are the types of medications prescribed to treat anxiety and sleep problems, while stimulants help with ADHD. Opioids are used for a variety of symptoms mostly including pain. Regardless of how a person came to be addicted to medications or illegal drugs for that matter, there are numerous help centers which assist with overcoming addiction as a disease. When it comes to depressants, their primary role is to affect a neurotransmitter called GABA and in turn soothe the nervous system and advance sleep. The individuals usually feel drowsy, relaxed, better able to fall asleep, or feel at ease. As a result these medications are prescribed to treat sleep problems and anxiety or over stimulation of the nervous system. In cases when there is a large amount of depressants taken it is possible to calm the nervous system to such extent as to slow the breathing and heart rate and possibly induce death. When it comes to stimulants they are most often used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy and less frequently employed for the treatment of asthma, obesity, and depression. The role of stimulants is to accelerate the production of norepinephrine and dopamine, increase blood pressure and heart rate, and create a sense of euphoria. It is precisely such extreme happiness that individuals seek in stimulants that leads to frequent intake of the drugs and subsequently to addiction. Lastly, the opioids produce morphine like effect and are used as pain killers. They are usually prescribed to treat severe pain associated with illnesses of the gastrointestinal tract and spinal cord, but are effective against pain in other body parts as well. As is the case with certain other drugs the opioids can induce the sense of euphoria but there are also side effects associated with these medications which include slowed breathing, drowsiness, and infrequent or difficult to pass bowel movements. It should be noted that prescription medication addiction is equally prevalent in both men and women across most age groups except teenagers. Within this sub population girls are more likely than boys to abuse legal drugs. When it comes to the abuse of specific medications, women are more likely to be prescribed certain drugs which are known to lead to tolerance after a certain time period, while at the same time females are more prone to being addicted to tranquilizers and analgesics than males.

Myths of Drug Abuse

As is the case with many psychological disorders numerous myths surround both the affected individuals as well as clinicians striving to help. Experts generally agree that addiction is a brain disease, but it is a false belief that nothing can be done to help. Various studies have shown that the changes in the brain that are associated with addition can be reversed through medication and psychotherapy. It is also untrue that a long time drug user can stop abusing drugs any time he/she wishes. Addiction is characterized by the body’s inability to function without the drug so lots of time and therapy is required in order to stop abusing a certain medication. Further, if a type of addiction treatment failed to help in the past this does not mean there is not another kind of therapy that could possibly yield positive results.

Management of Drug Abuse

Different individuals react to prolonged use of legal drugs in distinct ways. There are those who can use prescription medications for longer than recommended without ever experiencing any adverse effects while some people develop additions after relatively short periods of time. Typical characteristics of a drug addict, whether it be legal or illegal drugs, include broken relationships, homes, or families, work or school related problems, and feelings of embarrassment, hopelessness, isolation, and abandonment. There are different elements which can predict whether someone will develop tolerance or not. For instance, childhood filled with trauma, neglect or abuse is related to numerous problems in adulthood, including drug abuse. If a close family member has a problem with addiction it is possible to pass it on genetically to others. Some psychological disorders, such as depression and anxiety, predispose individuals to addiction problems. Further, drug addiction is a widespread disorder so it is important for the general population to be aware of its signs in order to be able to prevent its further development or offer help to an affected person.