It is hard for doctors to determine who the abusers are because pain is not something they can judge by examining a patient. They may have a patient who truly feels pain and expresses it differently while others may have no pain at all and know how to work the system. As well as not knowing who the addict is, doctors have a harder time trying to determine who may become an addict in the future.
Signs of Prescription Drug Addiction
One of the ways doctors can find the addicts are by those seeking care on a frequent basis. This makes their job a little easier. It may look as if the patient is unlucky to be struck with so many problems but when they start to frequent the office and a doctor knows what the patient wants before he is seen, that is a good sign that the doctor has an addict on his hands.
Some people with prescription drug addiction have even been known to steal prescription pads or change the dosing information on these pads before they get to the pharmacy. They will change refill amounts and when worse comes to worst, they will buy their medication on the street.
There are other prescription drug addiction sufferers who may realize they have a problem but wait too long to seek help for the addiction. These people may be embarrassed or feel that they have failed themselves somehow because they can’t stop taking the medication. The good thing is that these patients usually do end up speaking to their doctor about the problem and try to get help to overcome the addiction. There are several instances where this has occurred and the best to hope for is that they recognize the problem before something devastating or even fatal occurs.
Finally, knowing there is a prescription drug addiction is just the beginning. Now the patient will have to seek out treatment from another set of professionals so that he may overcome his addiction. It can cause devastating effects at home and at his job and the only thing on his mind may be getting the right kind of help.
If you or anyone you know are starting to show signs of a prescription drug addiction, it is best to seek out care as soon as possible so that nothing worse happens. Drug addiction is a serious problem and should be taken care of once it has come into light. Taking care of the problem now will save on stress and bigger problems in the future.
Addiction