Sleeping pills, sedatives, painkillers and antidepressants are all common types of medication. In most cases, these drugs are prescribed by a doctor to temporarily relieve pain, stress, anxiety or sleep problems. Medication reduces activity in the brain and central nervous system. This makes a person less sensitive to external triggers. Due to this relaxing effect, quite a significant number of people who receive medication use it longer than is actually necessary. Many types of medication contain substances that are highly addictive and as an effect, tolerance can build up in a very short time, making it difficult or impossible to quit. Often, you will be needing a higher amount of medication overtime to feel the same effects, which could result in prescription drug addiction.
Prescription drug addiction
Medication addiction
Prescription drugs, such as painkillers, antidepressants, and sleeping pills, induce one of the most common addictions. If there has been a period of structural use of medication, chances are that a person has become psychologically, and possibly physically, dependent on drugs. Dependence on prescription drugs has a devastating impact and it can have serious psychological and physical consequences. At Connection SGGZ, we offer professional help for medication addiction. We help our clients quit in a medically responsible and committed way. Our personal approach guides our clients to an improved quality of life after treatment.
Why choose Connection SGGZ addiction care?
- Our treatments are reimbursed by your health insurer
- Short waiting list
- Personalised and specialised treatment
- Working with recovery mentors
- Evidence based treatment
- Custom aftercare programme
- Excellent family programme
- Rehab centres in the Netherlands and South Africa
Effects of prescription drug addiction:
- feeling a sense of calmness or ease
- falling asleep easily and continue sleeping
- less sensitivity to stimuli, which feels very relaxing
- numbness and drowsiness
- sagging muscles
Symptoms of prescription drug addiction:
- often extremely tired and lazy – no energy left for your daily activities
- thinking you can no longer live or sleep without medication
- a lack of concentration, appearing somewhat confused
- blunted emotions – experiencing sadness nor pleasure
- tolerance builds up – you need increasing dosages for comparable effects
- waking up irritable and hungover
- gaining weight
- loss of libido
- withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking your medicine
Risks of prescription drug addiction:
- confusion and memory loss
- balance disorders and loss of concentration
- mood swings and depression
- sleep problems
- nervousness and irritability
- physical dependence
- accidents
- change in personality
Am I a drug addict?
It can be difficult to tell whether there is a real problem. The severity of a medication addiction depends on how often and how much is used and what the consequences are. Prescription drug addiction occurs when someone has become dependent on medication and can hardly stop on their own, if at all. We have seen a rise in addiction to painkillers, sleep medicine and sedatives for years. Often, an increasing amount of drugs is needed to keep feeling the desired effect and taking them continuously leads to the same problems.
The first step
If you sign up with us for medication addiction, you have already taken the most important step. Since we thoroughly understand how this addiction work and have a lot of experience treating it, we choose a respectful and unprejudiced approach. Through rehabilitation at Connection SGGZ, recovery from prescription drug addiction is indeed possible.