How Prescription Pain Pills Are Commonly Abused Following Legal Prescriptions
Recently, it came out that football players in the NFL were frequently given prescription pain pills in order to get them back on the field as quickly as possible. What is coming out now is the fact that these pain pills were being used to ultimately hide injuries; injuries that would lead to further physical damage if ignored. It’s also coming to light that players were over time becoming addicted to the prescription pain pills and once they were not able to obtain them as a legal prescription, they would turn to illicit drugs in order to cope with their pain. The players were not informed of the risks associated with the prescription pain pills, the side effects, and the risk of addiction.
This is another example of how prescription drugs are abused and can become addicting over time. Even the most well-intentioned person may find that they are addicted to prescription drugs at one point or another and have to face the uncertainty of dealing with that addiction.
What does this mean for you?
If your physician at any time prescribes pain pills for a condition, it’s important that you realize that there is a chance of addiction. Your physician should be letting you know the risks and side effects of any prescription they are writing for you. If you find that over time you are needing more of a prescription drug to achieve the same results of pain relief, contact your physician immediately and let them know so they can help you before the situation gets out of control. There may be an underlying cause to your pain that was missed at your initial evaluation and subsequent prescription generation.
Most often, prescription pain pills are not intended to be used over extended periods of time. Your physician should let you know how long to reasonably expect to be on the prescription pain pills. If you find that you are in need of the pain pills for longer than expected, contact your physician and let them know.
If your physician is unaware of your dosage increasing or the need to increase, you run a greater chance of becoming addicted to the prescription pain pills, which could lead to further health problems such as liver or kidney problems or even lead you to turn to illegal drugs for pain relief.
If you find that you or someone you love is dealing with prescription pain pill addiction, please contact us today. Prescription drug addiction is a problem that won’t go away by itself, but prescription drug rehab can help.
Sources:
CNN
NY Daily News
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