Serious Warning Signs of Painkiller Addiction

  When you are in pain you are willing to just about anything to make it stop. You may have been prescribed powerful medications to help you deal with the worst of your pain, which is fine as long as the pills are taken properly. Opioids and other narcotic painkillers are very effective but are not meant to be used for long term pain management. Unfortunately, many painkillers have highly addictive properties. The number of prescription drug addicts across the country from Tacoma, WA to Miami, FL has skyrocketed in the past decade. Many people who started innocently taking a doctor’s prescription to deal with an injury or pain management found themselves addicted to their medication in a short period of time. If you are taking prescription dosage painkillers and you are concerned that you may be addicted, you need to talk to your doctor right away. There are some symptoms of addiction that are common to many addicts who have sought treatment in one of the drug addiction rehab center Tacoma WA has to offer. No matter where you live, there are resources to help you with your painkiller addiction. If you see yourself or your behavior in the following symptoms, it could be time to have a talk with your doctor and your family. Keep in mind that medication addiction and medication dependency can be very different. Just because you have been using pain medications doesn’t necessarily make you an addict. Dependency occurs when you end up having to increase your dosage because your body has become tolerant to the medications. Addiction occurs when you can’t resist taking your medication even when you no longer need it. Preoccupation With Medication If you find that you are focusing a lot of thoughts and worry about when you can take your next dose of medication you may have a problem. Your mind may be completely taken up with how you will get more pills, where the money will come from and how soon you can get a fix. If you are running out of pills and you have an acute sense of anxiety about where you will get more, it’s time to talk to your doctor. Your dependance could have turned into an addiction. When you are less concerned about your pain and more concerned with the “high” that you get from your medication it is an indication that you may be addicted. Increase Your Dose When your regular dose is not enough and you find that you are running out of your pills before they can be renewed you could be displaying addictive behavior. You might ask your doctor to up your dose or increase the number of pills that you get with each refill. When discussing your pain with your doctor you may exaggerate your discomfort in order to get a higher dose of pills. This kind of dishonest and sneaky behavior will start to become more prevalent as you search for different ways to get more medication. Behavior Changes Pain medications are often very powerful opioids or narcotics. With long term use and addiction, you will notice that many parts of your behavior change. You may start to feel more paranoid and confrontational. You get really upset when anyone gets in the way of yourself and your medication. It’s common to develop problems in your career and personal relationships. Addiction can put a terrible strain on everyone involved in your life. The tension between you and your family could indicate that your behavioral changes are causing rifts. Even the most upstanding person can go through dramatic personality changes because of addiction. Secretive and even dishonest behavior is a common symptom of addiction. You might find yourself making excuses and lying to those close to you to hide your dependance on your medication. In some cases, addicts will take advantage of and even steal from people that they love. When you will do anything to get more pills, you should know that you are dealing with an addiction that is out of control. Doctor Switches Addicts come up with some very clever ways to navigate the system to get their next prescription. Before they start to buy illegal pills off the street, many addicts start by trying to manipulate the medical system. If your doctor refuses to raise your dosage or give you more pills, you may try to find another doctor that will help you. Addicts will often switch from doctor to doctor in order to get renewed prescriptions to meet their needs. Conclusion Prescription pain medication should be taken with caution. It’s important to take your pills exactly as your doctor has prescribed them. If you start to feel like your medication is not strong enough to help your pain, or you start to notice that you are using your prescription up too fast, it’s time to talk to your doctor to get you on a better treatment plan.