Has a doctor prescribed medication to you or someone you love? If so, you’ve likely improved the odds of easing the symptoms of the condition affecting you. However, prescription drug treatment often comes with a risk of addiction. That’s true because many of the most effective medications have addictive chemical properties. When using one of these medications, it’s vital that you keep your addiction risks as low as possible. You can do so by following some time-tested recommendations on how to steer clear of this problem.
Avoiding Prescription Drugs’s Harmful Potential – Which Medications Are a Concern?
Most prescription drugs come with little or no addiction risk. However, many of the most effective and widely used medications are notably addictive. That includes:
- Opioids prescribed to ease pain or for other medical purposes
- Most sedatives and tranquilizers used as sleep aids or anxiety treatments
- Stimulants used to treat ADHD and various other conditions
The majority of people who take these medications don’t develop any addiction-related issues. Still, the potential is always there. All told, roughly nine million Americans are addicted to an opioid or a sedative or stimulant.
How to Avoid a Prescription Drug Addiction – Follow the Terms of Your Prescription
When it comes to avoiding addiction, nothing is more important than following the terms of your prescription. Why? Doctors know when they’re prescribing addictive medications. In addition, pharmacists know when they’re distributing these medications. As a result, they take active steps to protect you from potential problems.
Those steps include setting limits on how much of your medication you take at once. They also include limiting the number of doses you take per day. In addition, prescriptions for addictive drugs are typically only valid for a short amount of time. To get more of these medications, you need another legitimate prescription. Pharmacists add an extra layer of protection. They do so by making sure that you understand the risks of taking an addictive medication.
Avoiding Prescription Drug Addiction – Knowing Which Actions Boost Your Risks
There’s also another aspect to avoiding prescription drugs’s addiction risks. Namely, you must know what not to do when taking a medication prescribed to you. The list of actions to avoid at all costs includes:
- Exceeding your prescribed dose amount or dose frequency
- Using your medication as a form of recreation
- Taking your medication past the end date for your prescription
- Physically altering your medication so that it has stronger effects on you
You should also avoid the practice of getting duplicate prescriptions for the same drug from different doctors. This is called doctor shopping and is a sign of prescription drug substance issues.
What If You Don’t Have a Prescription?
Avoiding prescription drug addiction is also crucial for people without a valid medication prescription. You should never take a medication not prescribed to you. This guideline covers medication provided to you voluntarily. It also covers medication that you steal from someone or buy from a third party. If you hold a prescription, don’t give anyone else access to your medication. This way, you won’t end up exposing a friend or loved one to increased addiction risks.
Connect with Northpoint for Help Avoiding Prescription Drug Addiction
The question of how to avoid prescription drug addiction is quite real for millions of Americans. Does that include you? If so, you can protect yourself by taking a few precautionary steps.
Want further details on how to keep you or your loved one safe? Get the information you need at Northpoint Colorado. Northpoint’s team of treatment professionals can also help you recover from any existing problems with prescription drugs. Just call us today at 888.231.1281 for accurate answers and advice. You can also contact us via our online message form.