Safe and Effective Pill Detox: Your Path to Recovery
Prescription medication can be a gift to individuals that suffer from pain or any manner of health or mental health problem. These drugs can relieve symptoms while improving the ability to function and enjoy life.
Unfortunately, many of these medications are extremely habit forming and may lead to prescription drug addiction. When it’s time to discontinue a drug, a safe pill detox and withdrawal is the proper protocol. Pacific Bay Recovery can assist you through the detox process by providing the medical and psychological support needed to minimize discomfort and achieve recovery success.
If you or someone you know is struggling with prescription drug addiction, call Pacific Bay Recovery at 619-350-8220.
About Prescription Pill Addiction
Due to the wide variety of medications on the market, this article will focus on three specific classes of prescription pills that are prone to abuse or addiction: opioids, benzodiazepines, and stimulants.
Each of these drug classes cause addiction in similar ways. Continued use of the drug leads to increased tolerance, which leads to higher or more frequent dosing. This happens when the brain’s neural pathways make adjustments in response to the daily presence of the drug. Over time, the brain becomes dependent on the drug. Experiencing withdrawal symptoms is the most obvious sign that drug dependence or addiction has developed.
Here are some common signs of pill addiction:
- Increased tolerance to the effects of the drug
- Requesting frequent refills of the drug
- Mood swings
- Changes sleeping habits
- Unexplained weight gain or loss
- Irritability
- Doctor shopping for refills
- Stealing pills from friends or family members
- Buying prescription pills from illicit sources
- Obsess about the next dose, and in keeping enough supply on hand
- Avoiding obligations to work or family
- Lying about pill use
- Avoiding activities once enjoyed
- Isolating behaviors
- Sneaky behaviors
- Continue to abuse the pills despite negative consequences
- Can’t stop or control the use of the drug
- When attempting to stop the drug, experience withdrawal symptoms
Call Pacific Bay Recovery now at 619-350-8220 to learn more about our pill detox and residential at our private location.
Commonly Abused Prescription Pills
A person may receive a prescription for pain medication after an injury, or to help with insomnia. These are drugs that interact with brain chemistry. This occurs when the drug produces a mild euphoria or other desirable effects causing the brain to record the experience in its reward system. The brain’s reward network plays an integral role in addiction.
The three most widely misused classes of prescription pills in the U.S. include:
Opioids. Opioids have analgesic properties that block the pain signals that travel through the central nervous system to the brain. The most prescribed opioids include oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine, oxymorphone, fentanyl, codeine, and hydromorphone.
Benzos. Benzos are sedatives that are prescribed for anxiety disorder and insomnia. These include lorazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, and clonazepam.
Stimulants. Stimulant drugs contain amphetamine and are prescribed to treat individuals with ADHD or narcolepsy. They include Adderall, Ritalin, and Vyvanse.
Each of these drug categories are susceptible to substance abuse. This means that people who do not have a legitimate need for a prescription seek the prescription pills through illicit sourcing for the purpose of recreational use.
Sometimes the pills are mixed with other drugs or alcohol to enhance the desired high or to offset the effects of one drug with the other. This may result in a polysubstance use disorder, such as an ongoing practice of combining opioids with alcohol.
Don’t put your life or your long-term health at risk. Call us today at 619-350-8220.
The Neuroscience of Pill Addiction
At Pacific Bay Recovery, we believe that understanding the way pill addiction occurs is part of the rehabilitation process. In fact, addiction education becomes a critical deterrent to future relapse.
Most people are unaware of the mysterious neurochemical process triggered by opioids, benzos, or stimulants. The reality is that each of these drug classifications have highly addictive properties with continued use.
Prescription opioids bind to the opioid receptors in the brain, which then blocks the sensations of pain. These drugs provide relief for people who have endured a surgical procedure or painful injury, as they trick the mind into not noticing the pain. The brain registers the relaxed, euphoric, and pain-free state in its reward center.
Benzos affect brain chemistry differently, but slowing the neuronic activity and increasing GABA, which results in deep relaxation. The calm, relaxing effect is so pleasurable that the brain also registers this as something desirable to be repeated.
Stimulants increase the nerve activity in the central nervous system, which results in increased focus, energy, and confidence. This pleasant effect also imprints in the brain’s reward system as something to be repeated.
Pill Detox and Withdrawal
Pacific Bay Recovery provides a safe, medically supervised pill detox and withdrawal program onsite. As the first phase of the recovery process, detox and withdrawal allows the individual to stabilize prior to entering treatment. Once the detox is completed, the individual transitions to rehabilitation where the addiction patterns and behaviors can be addressed and changed.
- Opioid Pill Detox. To reduce the discomforts of opioid detox, a tapering schedule is often prescribed. Some individuals may benefit from medication assisted treatment, which can reduce the pain of withdrawal and drug cravings. Opioid detox symptoms may include:
- Runny nose
- Tearing eyes
- Muscle aches
- Joint pain
- Insomnia
- Sweating
- Fever
- Excessive yawning
- Elevated blood pressure
- Racing heart
- Anxiety
- Agitation
- Nausea and vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Chills
- Goosebumps
- Stomach cramps
- Cravings
- Depression
- Benzodiazepine Pill Detox. Benzo detox can become unpredictable and even dangerous, which is why it will involve a tapering schedule. This allows the body to gradually adjust to the reduced dosages to better control the withdrawal symptoms. Benzo detox symptoms include:
- Restlessness
- Irritability
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Muscle aches
- Panic attacks
- Tremors
- Increased heart rate
- Mood swings
- Cognitive difficulties
- Stimulant Pill Detox. Prescription stimulant detox also benefits from a tapering schedule to help minimize withdrawal symptoms. Stimulant withdrawal symptoms include:
- Fatigue
- Extreme hunger
- Headaches
- Blurred vision
- Panic attacks
- Increased appetite
- Disturbing dreams
- Nausea
- Agitation
- Intense fatigue
- Mental fog
- Irritability
- Insomnia or hypersomnia
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Suicidal thoughts
Pacific Bay Recovery for Pill Detox and Rehabilitation
Following pill detox, Pacific Bay Recovery’s comprehensive inpatient rehab program helps guide individuals on their path to wellness. Our multi-modal treatment approach includes:
- Individual psychotherapy
- Group therapy
- Family therapy
- Relapse prevention planning
- Addiction education
- Holistic activities
- Nutrition and fitness
Pacific Bay Recovery offers medically supervised prescription pill detox and rehabilitation in San Diego. If you are ready to break the grip of pill addiction, please reach out to us today.
Call our Pill detox center at Pacific Bay Recovery today at 619-350-8220 for more information.
