Prescription Drug Detox

How Prescription Drugs Work

Your use of prescription medications, whether it is antidepressants, painkillers, stimulants, or sleeping pills, may have begun innocently enough. Perhaps you were prescribed pain medication after a surgery. Or maybe you started taking a friend’s attention deficit disorder drugs for “recreational” purposes. Prescription drugs are often perceived to not be as dangerous as illicit drugs because they are made by large corporations and prescribed by doctors. However, they are extremely dangerous when misused and can quickly become a serious addiction.

It does not matter whether you are abusing stimulants or depressants. All prescription drugs impact both the chemistry of the brain and the functioning of the central nervous system. Long-term use of opiates (pain relievers), depressants, stimulants, anti-anxiety medications, or sleeping aids can impair bodily functions, which range from variations in heart rate to extreme psychological conditions, such as anxiety or paranoia.

Prescription Withdrawal

It is difficult to address all types of prescription medications under a single detoxification section. There are hundreds of drugs that fall into four categories: opiate pain relievers, anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medication, and stimulants. Each category of drug is accompanied by its own set of withdrawal symptoms. A combination of prescription drugs used inappropriately can present a number of withdrawal symptoms that can be life threatening, or at least life altering.

Types of Drugs	Examples	Withdrawal Symptoms	Average Length of Detox
Painkillers (Opiate detox)	Vicodin Percocet OxyContin Morphine Lortab	Muscle and bone pain Sweats and cold flashes Diarrhea Fatigue Flu-like symptoms Vomiting	5-7 days
Anti-Anxiety	Xanax Klonopin Valium Ativan Librium	Xanax Klonopin Valium Ativan Librium	5-10 days
Sleeping Pills	Ambien Somidem Lunesta Sonata	Rebound insomnia Dizziness Sweating Seizures	5 days
Stimulants	Adderall Ritalin Dexedrine	Depression Fatigue Agitation Psychosis Excessive sleeping	3-5 days

There is nothing simple about prescription drug withdrawal or detoxification. It is never recommended that you attempt a prescription drug detox on your own as many of the withdrawal symptoms can be life threatening. From a purely medical perspective, it is advisable to move through withdrawal and detoxification while being closely monitored by doctors and nurses trained in addiction and withdrawal.

Prescription Drug Addiction Treatment Center

For more information about opiate derivatives and the withdrawal symptoms please check our opiate detoxification page. Drugs within the benzodiazepines family (such as Xanax), and the other classes of drugs mentioned above, all have serious detoxification ramifications, including increased anxiety, decreased muscle coordination, cardiovascular changes, seizures, and severe memory loss. A doctor, preferably within a licensed detox facility, should closely monitor detoxification from these drugs.

Our medically staffed detox clinic at Lakeview Health Systems can provide you with superior care and state-of-the-art prescription drug detoxification treatment. We understand the interaction of multiple drugs and can determine the safest, fastest, most effective prescription drug detox plan for you.

Beyond Prescription Drug Detoxification

Once you have gone through prescription detoxification, you still need to address the physical and emotional ramifications of addiction. Can you live without painkillers? Perhaps not, but, can you live without an addiction to painkillers? At Lakeview Health Systems, we believe your pain can be managed without developing an addiction to the very drugs prescribed to help you. You can be responsible to take prescription drugs safely. Suffering from anxiety? We understand the medical and psychological issues surrounding anxiety, insomnia, depression, etc., and have a treatment program customized to address your personal issues.

We pride ourselves on providing patients with quality treatment programs. Our approach, which is a medical model that incorporates other treatment modalities, is always delivered to our patients by degreed, addiction-trained and experienced therapists and doctors. Our treatment plans can help you confront your addiction and dependencies by using individual and group therapy, 12-step workshops, recreational activities, spiritual workshops, aftercare plans, and more.

Every aspect of our treatment program is grounded in the philosophy that breaking the cycle of addiction requires a holistic approach. We are certain that the foundation we provide our patients will give them the tools to re-enter their lives as sober, clean, productive human beings.

Other Detoxification Programs that Lakeview Offers:

• Oxycontin Detox
• Alcohol Detox
• Cocaine Detox
• Crystal Meth Detox
• Drug Detox
• Heroin Detox
• Hydrocodone Detox
• Inpatient Drug Detox
• Methadone Detox
• Opiate Detox
• Percocet Detox
• Prescription Drug Detox