March 18th, 2008 by jgold454

Addiction to prescription drugs is a growing problem in the United States, most commonly among painkillers. A patient may need to take a drug for pain following a surgery, accident, or because of a chronic illness. They discover that they have developed withdrawal symptoms when they don’t take the drug, and they have likely built up a tolerance to a higher dosage. If it begins affecting their life in other ways, the person has an addiction. Other people begin using prescription drugs recreationally and develop a drug abuse problem that way.

Regardless of how it starts, prescription drug abuse is an important issue. Having realized how widespread the problem has become, many doctors are now reluctant to prescribe painkillers even for valid reasons. Of course, it can be impossible to determine whether the patient is actually feeling pain or not. Equally as often, patients themselves are reluctant to take prescription pain drugs because they are afraid of developing a drug addiction. They will put up will unnecessary pain in order to avoid it.

The World Health Organization has recognized this problem and the need to get patients proper pain management care while reducing the risk of addiction. They developed a plan for doctors to follow when treating pain conditions. It involves three steps. The patient starts with non-opiate prescription drugs to treat pain, such as prescription Motrin or an antidepressant that offers pain treatment. If that doesn’t work, they move on to a weak opiate drug such as codeine. Finally, if Step II was ineffective, strong opiates like morphine or methadone are used.

There are numerous treatment programs available for individuals who develop an addiction to a prescription drug. It’s important to understand that physical dependence isn’t necessarily the same as a drug addiction. If the pain drug is not disrupting one’s life, experts say it is fine to keep taking it—even if there are withdrawal symptoms when it’s not taken.