The U.S. continues to face a drug epidemic. In 2017, 70,000 people died from drug overdoses, and 68 percent of these deaths involved a prescription medication or illicit opioid. This translates to an American dying every 11 minutes from an opioid overdose.
Prescription drugs may be the right answers to treat some conditions. If you are prescribed a prescription to treat pain or anxiety, you need to be aware of the most addictive prescription drugs. Let’s examine them.
1. Fentanyl
Fentanyl is the most potent opioid. It can be up to 100 times stronger than morphine It is also 50 times stronger than heroin—this is why this prescription is so addictive.
Overdose rates are high with this drug also especially people that are used to weaker prescription painkillers.
Street drug labs are adding fentanyl to other drugs like Xanax, cocaine, and heroin. This makes for a deadly combination, and when a user takes the normal dose of his or her drug of choice, the extra fentanyl is deadly. Fentanyl-related deaths have increased by 1000 percent in the past 5 years.
2. Xanax
Xanax is one of the leading anti-anxiety medications. It is still one of the most prescribed drugs. It was originally said to be less addictive and safer.
Xanax has been abused by hundreds of thousands of Americans in the middle class. It is a popular recreational drug. It is a popular drug in the music industry and is mentioned in several popular songs.
This drug should not be taken likely. Using Xanax for an extended period of time can harm your body. Xanax is a central nervous system depressant so it slows down your physical and mental health, which is why it can be deadly when combined with alcohol.
3. Adderall
Adderall is abused most likely by young people. Sometimes users take this drug to improve their school or work performance. It is also popular to help users stay up at night and party at clubs.
This drug is often mixed with alcohol, which can be deadly. Users also tend to build up a tolerance and start taking higher doses.
How long does Adderall stay in your system? It can stay in your system for up to 3 days. Sometimes traces are found months later.
Abusing Adderall can lead to cardiovascular problems like high heart rates and elevated blood pressure. Taking this drug with alcohol increases a person’s risk of alcohol poisoning.
4. OxyContin
OxyContin s a brand name of the drug oxycodone. Even though the government is trying to slow down use and prescriptions of this drug, this drug continues to grow in popularity.
This drug is highly addictive. Opioid addiction can happen after just 5 days. This is because these drugs are some of the strongest available.
The makers of this drug have tried to change the formula to decrease addiction. However, the addiction rates in other opioids started to rise as users were still trying to get their fix.
5. Vicodin
Vicodin has a low dose of hydrocodone. It also has a more low-key vibe which can be risky. Since it has this vibe, it seems to be a more acceptable drug among Hollywood and partiers.
It also gets a more mainstream vibe in movies, music, and TV. They all portray this drug as not so bad. This isn’t really the case.
With 130 million prescriptions for this drug written each year, the rates of abuse continue to rise. More than 24.4 million people over the age of 12 admitted to using Vicodin recreationally at some point.
This isn’t just a part drug either. Professionals and senior citizens become addicted to this drug unintentionally after taking for a medical reason. Getting clean from Vicodin is just as difficult as any other opioid, and the user craves the drug to keep pains away.
Vicodin also has acetaminophen, which can be harmful to your liver with long-term use.
6. Codeine
Codeine is a less potent prescription painkiller. It is found in prescription cough syrup to treat severe flu and cold symptoms. You can also find this drub in a tablet form.
Even though codeine is more regulated, it is still popular. It has led to overdoses and deaths. Codeine is popular in the hip-hop industry.
Codeine was popular in the “purple drank craze” in the hip-hop world. Codeine is also used to create another opioid called desomorphine, which is only available in illegal drug labs. These drug labs aren’t always clean so people have caught infections and also other skin issues.
The abuse of codeine is much more serious than people think. People think this drug is harmless because it is the least potent of the prescription opioids. This couldn’t be farther from the truth as people mix this drug with others.
7. Methadone
The drug used to treat addiction can also be addicting. Methadone is used to trick a drug abuser’s mind that is getting its opioids. This helps relieve severe withdrawal symptoms and make the detox more tolerable.
After a period of time, the doses of methadone are decreased. The withdrawal symptoms pass while the patient completes drug rehab treatment. Methadone withdrawal is slower and less intense than withdrawal from other opioids or heroin.
The patient then stops taking methadone to live a happy life. This isn’t always the case.
Methadone has its own risks. This drug can create the same opioid euphoria. Some patients trying to get off of methadone find themselves relapsing and having intense cravings.
Some people stick to methadone while others return to other opioids or heroin. This means methadone can also create a dependency of its own. Methadone was involved in about one-third of the opiate overdoses.
Most Addictive Prescription Drugs Final Thoughts
After seeing these most addictive prescription drugs, it’s important to take note and ask questions. If you suffer from chronic pain or anxiety, you can talk to your doctor about alternative methods of treatment. Prescription drug dependence can happen to anyone even if you plan to just take painkillers for a short time.
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