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Doctors have known for some time that prescription drug abuse in Colorado and other parts of the western United States is getting worse. Law enforcement officials, however, have been running a little behind the eight ball, so to speak. They’ve been putting their primary focus on other illegal drug activity while prescription pain killer abuse has escalated out of control.

In Colorado, for example, the primary concern has been battling methamphetamine addiction, and it’s true that meth poses serious health hazards for its victims. However, officials have failed to recognize the other big problem, that prescription pain killers that are being produced by the so-called “pill mills” flourishing in California and Nevada, are making it easier for people to obtain them without a prescription.

People are easily susceptible to pain medication addiction because of the way it works on the brain. Normally, when you experience pain or discomfort, the brain sends out endorphins as its natural way of providing the body a level of relief. If you go to the doctor, however, and ask for a prescription for pain pills, the brain responds by manufacturing more and more receptors for that type of drug. It then decreases the amount of endorphins that it produces because it’s gaining relief from the medication. Opioids, including pain killers, actually stimulate a rush of euphoria when taken. It’s doubly intoxicating because this all happens in the part of the brain that helps us to set priorities in our lives. But over repeated use, the nerve cells in the brain begin to deteriorate, and the person cannot feel pleasure or relief unless he is taking the medication.

Many people who become addicted to pain killers experience a haphazard descent into addiction. It’s not that they set out to use drugs illegally, hanging out with shady characters from the underworld or chasing after bongs like the comical characters in the old Cheech and Chong movies. They begin by taking pain killers to help them while they recover from an injury, and then they find that it’s difficult to stop taking the medication.

Officials fighting prescription drug abuse in Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and other states need to follow the example of legislators in Florida. When legislators joined forces with the state attorney general to clamp down on pill mills and also to enforce use of the state’s database for monitoring prescription drugs, the state saw an actual decrease in the number of prescription-drug-related deaths for the first time in over ten years.

Polls show that people who oppose the use of prescription drug use databases argue that there are no funds to support such a database. Some physicians and pharmacists don’t want to be bothered with compliance issues.

Nobody can argue that fighting drugs like methamphetamine (meth) isn’t a good cause, but Colorado lawmakers really need to turn their attention to prescription drug abuse. A whopping 6 percent of people are abusing pain killers in that state, putting it in second place right behind Oregon. Arizona ranks sixth, with 5.66 percent of its population abusing pain killers, and New Mexico holds tenth place, with 5.45 percent admitting to non-medical use of prescription pain killers.  The statistics for these figures included people as young as age 12—a sobering reality.

Recovery from prescription drug abuse is so difficult because it involves withdrawal from the medication and also pain management therapy and behavior modification to help the person deal with his pain—the reason why he began using the drugs in the first place. It’s best to contact professionals at a drug rehab center to get the best treatment for this kind of addiction, who are best equipped to apply this two-pronged approach.   For more information on recovery from prescription pain medication addiction contact Vista Taos Renewal Center at 1.800.245.8267.

What do you do when you discover that someone you love is abusing not just one substance but two? Over the past decade, the number of people who felt the impact of that shocking revelation actually quintupled. From the year 2000 to 2010, annual cases of those battling addiction to both benzodiazepines and narcotic pain relievers increased from about 6,000 to almost 34,000. That’s quite a jump!

Benzodiazepines include the drugs used to combat generalized anxiety disorders, panic disorders, and agitation. The most familiar medications include Valium, Librium, Xanax, and Tranxene. Some “bennies,” as abusers affectionately call them, have been used as muscle relaxants. Some doctors prescribe them to relieve the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal or insomnia.

Narcotic pain relievers (NPRs) are prescribed for people who are recovering from muscle pain caused by some kind of trauma or illness, joint pain from arthritis, or the common pain of postoperative recovery. Most commonly prescribed medications include Tylenol with Codeine, Vicodin, Percocet, and OxyContin. They all are morphine or codeine derivatives.

Dosage issues for these NPRs include a tolerance that quickly develops; the patient might soon request a higher dose. They are also very addictive, and once someone begins a course of therapy he may find it very difficult to stop taking this medication.  With benzodiazepines, they stay in the system longer in older patients; someone who took Valium in his 20s will have more difficulty shaking it off if he’s still using it when he’s in his 50s.  Both types of medications are very dangerous for people who drink alcohol.

Some patients present with interrelated problems—a person who suffers an auto accident may well develop anxieties during his recovery process, for example. A common scenario involves a patient seeing an orthopedic doctor for joint injury, for example, and then visiting his family physician for help in dealing with related anxiety.

Statistics from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) in a study of people with this dual addiction show:

• Non-Hispanic Whites in the 18-34 age group were the largest population segment taking this combination, with men and women equally affected. The average patient age was 31.2 years. 
• 38 percent began taking both medications in the same year.
• Of the remaining 62 percent, 34 percent began first with the benzodiazepine medication; the other 28 percent started with the NPR.
• Just under 50 percent of those taking both medications had a co-occurring mental health diagnosis—such as anxiety or panic disorders.

But the most significant statistic is the shocking increase in treatment admissions for benzodiazepines with NPR addiction compared to other addictions. The benzodiazepine/NRP group increased 569.7 percent in the decade between 2000 and 2010. For that same time period, admissions for all other addictions rose 9.5 percent.  While an increase in either type of admissions is bad, the huge difference between the two numbers reveals the alarming increase of benzo/NPR abusers.

What should you do if someone in your family is taking this deadly combination—or what if it’s you? The good news is that of those who sought treatment, few of them were referred through the criminal justice system. That means abusers are accepting the realization that an addiction issue has developed.

The bad news is that someone who takes both benzodiazepines and narcotic pain relievers has dual withdrawal problems. He or she not only has to deal with the anxiety of withdrawing from medications that were helping him but also with the underlying emotional or mental health issues that led him to taking the benzodiazepines in the first place. In addition, withdrawal from benzodiazepines can worsen the symptoms of withdrawal from narcotic pain relievers.

Addiction treatment specialists are seeing an increase in treatment admissions for people who want to kick this dual addiction, and almost half of them are self-referrals. Armed with the knowledge that these patients come with treatment-resistant problems, counselors are successfully working to engage them in recovery. 

Resource:

SAMSHA. Admissions Reporting Benzodiazepine and Narcotic Pain Reliever Abuse at Treatment Entry, published 12/13/12 http://www.samhsa.gov/data/2k12/TEDS-064/TEDS-Short-Report-064-Benzodiazepines-2012.htm

Prescription drug addiction can occur in any line of work, but when you’re a doctor, the addiction can be facilitated rather easily – often by using tactics such as prescription drug fraud.

For one prominent Denver Children’s Hospital doctor, Dr. Louis Hampers, the prescription pad proved too tempting. Hampers, who is the head of the emergency room, falsified prescriptions to the tune of 600 counts of prescription drug fraud, but he has only pled guilty to 14 counts. The painkillers obtained through the fake prescriptions were for his personal use.

Hampers faces between $3,000 to $30,000 in fines and 12 to 18 months of prison time. His sentencing will be held at 10 a.m. on May 29th, 2012, with U.S. District Judge Robert Blackburn presiding.

There is one silver lining in the Hampers’ case: the doctor has received treatment for his prescription drug addiction. After his August 2010 indictment, Hampers has been in a prescription drug treatment program. The program may be similar to the program at Vista Taos Renewal Center in New Mexico, where assistance for prescription drug addiction can help people from all walks of life get back on track.

As Hampers moves forward in his trial, his attorneys have requested that Hampers continue his drug treatment program outside of prison and that the doctor receive probation only at his May 29 sentencing. Prosecutors, however, wish for Hampers to serve time. The attorneys state that Hampers’ harassment of his ex-wife and of a television reporter aggravate his crimes. 

Prescription drug fraud is a federal offense. Thankfully, the prescription drug addiction that often leads to the fraud is treatable. Call a rehabilitation center today for more information about how to kick an addiction. Vista Taos Treatment Center is staffed around the clock and can take calls with any questions at any time of day.

Anxiety and opioid abuse are linked, according to a study conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. It seems the link works two ways: researchers have found that those who suffer from anxiety and mood disorders are more likely to abuse opioids, and those who are given prescriptions for opioids, like Oxycontin, are more likely to become anxious or suffer from mood disorders after taking the prescription medications.

These two links can become a vicious cycle. Patients prescribed opioids for a purely medical reason may continue to take the medicine after the medically induced need disappears, this time to treat anxiety or mood disorders caused by the opioid. Additionally, patients with mental health needs could become hooked on an opioid prescribed to assist with anxiety or other disorders or opioids obtained on the black market.

Prescription drug abuse, particularly opioid use in America is on the rise. Opioids have become the second most-widely used illegal drugs in the United States, after marijuana. This new research could shed some light on why the drug has become so popular, since opioids can both cause and relieve feelings of anxiety, depression, and panic. This is a dangerous recipe for addiction.

While prescription drug abuse is on the rise, drug abuse treatment centers like the Vista Taos Renewal Center in New Mexico have been staying up-to-date on the newest research and treatment options. If you or a loved one suffer from prescription drug abuse, the best way to break the addiction is to attend a treatment center, where you can find the most current treatment options available. Let Vista Taos show you how to comfortably detox from opioids and learn to live your life without a dependency on prescription pain drugs. Vista Taos can also help patients with underlying reasons for addiction, such as mood disorders; the treatment process takes the entire person into consideration.

Hundreds of children and adults in need of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) prescription medication have been unable to fill  them recently. Pharmacies across the nation are in short supply of the generic form of ADHD pills, the name brand of which are called Ritalin and Adderall.

This shortage is due in part to the drugs’ manufacturers trying to limit the supply of generic brands to maximize their profits in sales of the name-brand drugs. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is also to blame; the DEA must set limits on the numbers of drugs that each manufacturer may produce, in an effort to decrease the potential for misuse among adults and particularly among college students.

College students have taken to snorting the ADHD medications because when non-ADHD adults take ADHD medication, the pills often have the completely opposite effect from their intended treatment. Instead of becoming calmer from the drug, non-ADHD adults can become hyperactive, which can result in an almost super-human ability to accomplish tasks. For the college crowd, this hyperactivity can help them study – often late into the night with cram sessions before big tests.  

For the DEA, the increase in the prescription pill misuse is difficult to control. The agency estimates that one in four adults who receive ADHD prescriptions may be faking symptoms. Once the non-ADHD adults have the prescription, they can abuse the pills themselves or sell them on the black market.

Unfortunately, the abuse of ADHD medication and the subsequent shortage of generic brands could continue for a while until the DEA can better police the misuse. Eventually, the DEA may be able to crack down on black market rings, but until then, users who need prescription pill treatment will have to seek centers like Vista Taos for assistance.

Reports are readily available with statistics to show that students who abuse these drugs in the name of getting better grades are actually doing worse in school before they starting using. There is no positive side to abusing ADHD medication. Don’t start. If you’ve already started, get help.

If you or someone you love is in need of prescription pill treatment, please seek out the assistance of a prescription pill treatment center  like Vista Taos Renewal Center.  Their expert staff can talk to you about their programs for prescription drug addiction; get the help you need before it destroys your life.

Popping pills may not be the recreational past time people once thought it to be. Prescription drug death rates are rising across the United States, topping the death rates for cocaine and heroin use combined. Particularly, the death rate for narcotic pain pills has increased to four times the narcotic pill death rate in the previous decade.

Of course, pain pill use of this magnitude must be prescribed, and there has also been in increase in the numbers of prescriptions written that corresponds with the death rate. Sometimes narcotic drugs are prescribed for legitimate pain, but other times the narcotics are prescribed by “pill mill” doctors, who hand out prescriptions to addicts for cash. These doctors only have interest in money, not treating people for the betterment of their lives. If reviewed further, many of these doctors have faced legal issues surrounding malpractice laws and find that pill mills are the best way to make money and not be held accountable for their diagnosis.

Often, the start of addiction begins because of legitimate pain. When the patient is prescribed heavy-duty narcotic pain meds, they could become addicted quite quickly. Therefore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have issued a caution to doctors, requesting that they carefully screen their patients before prescribing narcotic pain pills.

 The death rate for narcotic pain medications is highest in New Mexico, and the highest abuse rate is in Oklahoma. Overall, the death rates are the highest in poor or rural counties, and the death toll is higher among whites and Native Americans, including Alaskan Natives than other races.

Prescription drug abuse can be treated, so if you know anyone suffering from prescription drug abuse, getting them to treatment centers like the Vista Taos Renewal Center, located in the number one state for pill deaths: New Mexico, could save their lives and improve their level of life enjoyment. Prescription drug abuse is not automatically a death sentence; help is waiting. Don’t become another statistic.    

Prescription drug abuse is on the rise in seniors and disabled beneficiaries who use the Medicare program. It was recently reported that this abuse cost the program nearly $150 million in 2008. In the report, it shows that some patients went to at least five doctors in order to receive multiple prescriptions for drugs that are often misused or abused. These are drugs on the FDA “Controlled Substances” list. They are prescription drugs like: Oxycontin, Vicodin, Percocet, Xanax and Valium.

About 170,000 individuals enrolled in the Medicare Part D prescription program were found to be “doctor shopping” for drugs ranging from oxycodone to hydrocodone. That means that approximately 1.8 percent of the total 43 million Medicare patients had these prescriptions. The study was started in 2010, using the data obtained in 2008.

One shocking example shows a patient who received prescriptions from 87 different doctors in a single year. That means some patients have gone to great lengths to have the government feed their drug addiction and need for these medications. Not only are these patients taking advantage of the system, but they are also fueling an addiction to medications that will ultimately land them in trouble.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have also been receiving many complaints lately regarding this type of drug abuse. When CMS receives these complaints, they then notify doctors about patients who could be abusing prescription drugs in order to stop abuse on their end. Prescription drug abuse is very dangerous and many people believe just because a doctor writes a prescription that it makes it okay to for them to ingest. This is far from the case and can lead to deadly consequences.

If you or a loved one needs help with prescription drug abuse, please contact Vista Taos Renewal Center today. They are a holistic drug abuse treatment center located 85 miles north of Santa Fe in New Mexico that can help anyone and everyone get their life back on track. Now is the time to get help and live a better life.

Many health and drug agencies in the United States are doing their best to warn people about the dangers of prescription drug abuse. Vicodin addiction, in particular, has almost tripled since 2001.  Reported police seizures of hydrocodone pills are coming in second to the amount being confiscated containing OxyContin.  According to a study by the National Institutes of Health, 8% of surveyed 18 year olds still attending high schools have abused Vicodin within the past year.

Many people who suffer from Vicodin addiction do not know the specific risks involved with the drug. They may realize that too much of the drug can cause a fatal overdose, as 910 people in the state of Florida in the past year died because of a narcotic overdose. But they may not be aware of the other risks. Vicodin, when used for its stated and prescribed purpose, is a safe and effective way to treat moderate pain. It’s widely used to treat people who have suffered broken bones or had surgery. It is a blended drug, meaning that hydrocodone is not the only ingredient in pill. It contains a moderate level of acetaminophen. Many people know acetaminophen by its brand name: Tylenol. When these two drugs are combined together, they make the pain pill more effective at doing its job. The problem is: acetaminophen can be risky with long-term use.

Stopping Vicodin addiction as soon as possible means you can give your body a chance to heal. Vista Taos Renewal Center is a drug treatment facility located in Taos, New Mexico. Staffed with experts in the field of substance abuse, they can work with you to break the cycle of addiction. Years of Vicodin addiction can cause severe damage to your liver. There will become a point where the damage is beyond repair. Your body deserves better than to suffer degeneration because of Vicodin addiction. Please let Vista Taos educate you more about narcotic substance abuse and get you on the road to recovery. Visit www.VistaTaos.com to learn more.

Online pharmacies are popping up left and right, providing prescription drugs without a prescription and causing quite a stir in the medical community. These pharmacies are often located outside the United States, but provide pills like Xanax, Percocet, Vicodin, Oxycontin and more to those who only take the drug to abuse it.

It wasn’t long ago that the method to getting these drugs was to purchase them without a prescription at a Mexican pharmacy. Prescription pill smuggling is a billion-dollar industry, leaving many southern cities like Dallas, Texas or Albuquerque, New Mexico with some of the easiest access to narcotics without a prescription. Because of the internet, these pills can be shipped anywhere. It is not only that these pills are being abused, but that often times, people are not getting the medicine they ordered, leaving them with other, dangerous side effects to treat.

Pill addiction is quickly replacing other illegal drugs, like marijuana, cocaine and heroin. People feel that because these pills were created in a laboratory, by medical scientists and doctors, they can provide a safe high. That is completely false. These pills can treat pain safely under a doctor’s care and only for a limited time. Products like Vicodin have acetaminophen in them; it can be detrimental to your liver over long-time usage. There is no safe high. Each pain pill and sedative on the market come with dangerous side effects if misused. So many lose their lives each year because of pill addiction.

Vista Taos Renewal Center in Taos, New Mexico knows how hard it can be to overcome pill addiction. That’s why they’re ready to talk to you about treatment options 24 hours a day. It is possible to more comfortably detox from pain pills and overcome aching process your body goes through while it retunes itself to live healthily, free from narcotics. Please call Vista Taos today, don’t be a pain pill addiction statistic.

Jeff Conaway entertained America with his roles in Taxi and Grease. His most recent role, however was on Celebrity Rehab, a reality show cousin to Sober House. In the reality show, Conaway opened up about his past; cocaine, alcoholism and pain pill addiction plagued him. A back injury fueled his opiate addiction; Conaway has had 5 back surgeries to date. After each surgery, opiate pills like Vicodin or Percocet are used to treat the pain for a week or so following the operation. Conaway admits his pain has not gone away; his depression and chronic pain are what pushes him to drink and continue to abuse opiates.

In mid-May, Conaway was reported in critical condition at a hospital because of a suspected overdose because of his opiate addiction. At the time, he was in a coma and completely unresponsive. Conaway died on May 27th. The cause of death was stated as pneumonia, however his physician stated that his many years of dependence on prescription painkillers ultimately cost him his life.

Conaway’s health had deteriorated through the years, most likely because of his addiction to prescription drugs, cocaine and alcohol. In 2008’s season of Celebrity Rehab, he was often seen in a wheelchair, needing help to get around, use the bathroom and general grooming. His attitude was more about getting pills then working with physical therapists or drug addiction specialists to get better.

Opiate addiction is not something to let drag on, as it takes years away from you quickly. Prescription drug abuse is hard on your organs and body systems. After a short period of addiction, your heart, kidneys and liver can be damaged beyond repair. Opiate addiction is a death sentence. Please contact Vista Taos Renewal Center to learn more about the dangers surrounding pill abuse. A premier southwestern rehabilitation facility located just 85 miles north of Santa Fe, Vista Taos is the healthy environment you or your loved one needs to experience successful opiate abuse treatment.