Prescription Drug Abuse - Symptoms and Causes

Abuse of prescription drugs has become a more serious problem than most street drugs. Pain killers, tranquilizers. Anti depression. Sleeping pills and stimulants may appear “safe” due to being prescribed by doctors, but they can be just as addictive and potent as the Heroin and Cocaine sold on the streets. The painkiller Oxycontin, for eg; is as powerful as Heroin and affects the body similarly. Continued use of painkillers, depressants (“downers”), stimulants (“uppers”), or antidepressants can lead to addiction -and painful withdrawal symptoms for those who try to quit.

Just a few of the effects of these drugs are given here:-

1. Painkillers: Oxycontin, Fentanyl, Morphine, Percodan, and Demerol are a few of a long list of painkillers. Effects can include slow breathing, nausea, and unconsciousness. Abuse can lead to addiction.

2. Depressants: these drugs which slow down your brain and nervous system function, include Xanax, Zyprexa, Amytal, Seconal, Valium, and many others. Effects can include heart problems, weight gain, fatigue, and splurge speech. Continued use can lead to addiction.

3. Stimulants: these drugs speed up your heart rate and breathing, similar to ” Speed” or Cocaine. They include Ritalin, Adderall, Concerta, and drugs known as ” Bennies”.
Effects include increased blood pressure and heartbeat, hostility, and paranoia.

4. Antidepressants: Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, and Celexa are some of the commonly used antidepressants. Effects can include irregular heartbeat, paranoid reactions, violent or suicidal thoughts, and hallucinations. Long-term can lead to addiction.

Painkillers, depressants, and antidepressants are responsible for more oversized deaths in the US than cocaine, Heroin, Methamphetamine, and Amphetamines combined.

Let’s talk about, what the dealers will tell you: when teens were surveyed to find out why they started using drugs in the 1st place 55% replied that it was due to pressure from their friends. They wanted to be calm and popular. Dealers know this.

They will approach you as a friend and offer to “help you out” with ” something to bring you up”. The drug will ” help you fit in” or “make you cool”.

Drug dealers, motivated by the profits they make will say anything to get you to buy their drugs.
They will tell you that ” Cocaine will make your life a party” and that ” Heroin is a warm blanket”. If you take Ecstasy, ” you can be with a lot of girls”.

They don’t care if the drugs ruin your life as long as they are getting paid. All they care about is money. Former dealers have admitted, they saw their buyers as ” pawns” in a chess game.

Get the facts about drugs. Make your own decisions. On very many platforms, all kinds of information are available about drugs. As new drugs appear on the streets and more information about their effects becomes known on the web and literature. But it still takes time to have a detailed study. The surveys conducted may or may not be accurate. Hence, when it comes to drugs and medication, be very cautious and careful. Your decision can help you lead a better life ahead.

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Shantiratn Founadtion

Prescription Drug Abuse - Symptoms and Causes

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