Certain side effects include:

• Drowsiness
• Confusion
• Nausea
• Slowed breathing

It’s possible for withdrawal to set in as early as a few hours after last taking prescription opioids. Some withdrawal symptoms include:

• Muscle and bone pain
• Cold flashes
• Severe craving
• Anxiety
• Flu-like symptoms

Often, the severity of withdrawal symptoms make it difficult or impossible for people to stop using prescription opioids without help. For a number of people, when they misuse opioids, and begin to develop dependence and addiction, they then turn to heroin. It’s easier to get and cheaper, with nearly 80 percent of heroin users reporting that they used opioids prior to heroin. At the point of dependence and addiction, it’s less about will-power and more about how the drug impacts the body. Withdrawal is uncomfortable and potentially dangerous, and at that point someone is not always thinking clearly.

It is possible to overdose on prescription opioids, and especially so if people combine with alcohol or other medications like benzodiazepines. They sometimes slow breathing, and if another substance also slows breathing the risk for overdose increases significantly. As our bodies adjust to certain medications, it’s possible we can develop a tolerance. From there, more of the substance is needed to feel the same effects we initially did.

Benzodiazepines: Use And Side Effects

Benzodiazepines (benzos) are a class of psychoactive drugs. They are primarily used to treat anxiety, seizures, and insomnia. Some of the common brand names include:

• Xanax
• Klonopin
• Ativan

For the most part, benzos are meant for short-term use. This is partly due to the high risk for addiction. Benzos that are prescribed continually are usually done so in conjunction with antidepressants; this is partly from anxiety and depression commonly occurring together, but also that benzos can cause an increased risk of suicide. With some benzos, like Xanax, there is the risk of dependence or addiction within even the first week of use. Despite this, according to NPR, not only are benzo prescriptions increasing, the number of continued or long-term prescriptions are increasing as well. As mentioned above, benzos and opioids are frequently prescribed together, despite the significant risk that comes from both drugs.

Common side effects from benzodiazepines includes:

• Drawsiness
• Confusion
• Depression
• Headaches
• Slowed breathing

With benzos, it is slowed breathing that is often one of the more dangerous symptoms particularly when mixed with other substances.

Benzodiazepine withdrawal is undoubtedly difficult for most people to go through on their own. This is likely why many people fail when they try to do so without professional, medical help.

Potential withdrawal symptoms include:

• Sleep disturbances
• Heart palpitations
• Nausea
• Muscle pain
• Seizures
• Psychosis
• Hallucinations

These symptoms are not going to happen for anyone that stops using benzos. They’re more likely for people who have developed severe addiction and physical dependence.

Factors Behind Prescription Drug Abuse And Addiction

Addiction is a complex process and understanding the many causes behind it is just as complex. There is still a need for a lot of research to be done, but we are beginning to understand how the opioid crisis and addiction to other prescription drugs has risen the way it has. Part of it was ignorance regarding addiction and how these drugs impact people. Further, for many prescriptions drugs, regulation has been inconsistent and inadequate. Many of us have trusted that prescription, legal drugs are safe and would not cause addiction the way it has.

NIDA explains, “In the late 1990s, pharmaceutical companies reassured the medical community that patients would not become addicted to prescription opioid pain relievers, and healthcare providers began to prescribe them at greater rates.” This flooded communities with opioid prescriptions and increased the opportunity for misuse. Similarly, benzo prescriptions have continued to rise in the United States in conjunction with opioid prescriptions. It’s possible they’re prescribed for pain, but also that someone is dealing with anxiety, insomnia, or other health concerns that benzos are meant to treat. An NPR study found that prescriptions are often filled by primary care doctors, who may not have adequate training when it comes to prescribing multiple drugs that have a high risk for addiction.

Prescription medications are not all inherently bad, but many people may want and need alternative ways to learn how to feel better. At Mountain View Recovery, we understand that it’s important to have a comprehensive understanding of each patient. This means taking a patient’s entire life into consideration. Physical and mental health are impacted by many things in one’s life. For a lot of people, trauma is a part of their addiction whether it occurred before or during, or both. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Somatic Therapy are two types of effective therapy in dealing with trauma. We also believe in adventure-based therapy. This helps patients recover by connecting with nature, learning survival skills, and accomplishing new things.

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