Do You Have A Prescription Drug Addiction?
One of the reasons people shun going to the doctor is that they are worried of developing a prescription drug addiction. This is especially true for people with depression, bipolar disorder and other kinds of addictions like alcoholism. All of these conditions can usually be successfully treated with the help of prescription medications. It is very unlikely that you would ever develop a prescription drug addiction.
Access
You need to be taking handfuls of prescription drugs in order to develop a prescription drug addiction. A few antidepressants or even anticonvulsants a day, taken when following doctor's orders, will not get you hooked. Some argue that a person suffering from major depression who has to take one Prozac a day for the rest of their lives has a prescription drug addiction. Some people are really stupid.
One Prozac a day is like taking a vitamin C pill a day because you have no access to foods with vitamin C in them. If your body doesn't get vitamin C on a regular basis, you will get incredibly ill and maybe die. It's the same with prescription medicines when taken as directed.
You have to work long, hard hours in order to get access to the bottles and bottles of pills needed to fuel a prescription drug addiction. One doctor will not prescribe you enough to get you hooked. You have to go to another doctor with a false identity in order to get a duplicate prescription - as well as have it filled by a different drug store chain. Usually, you have to go to drug dealers on the street in order to get the pills you need.
Overreaction
Our society has become so frightened of illegal drug addicts and people with really serious addictions to legal drugs like alcohol, that they are afraid of becoming one of the evil ones themselves. Mostly, they are afraid that if others discover that they are taking Prozac (or whatever), they will be branded as a drug addict for the rest of their lives. This is especially of concern for those with treatable mental illnesses, who really do not have the ability to make logical decisions, unless they are on prescription medications.
Although it is good that the media has let us all become aware of the problem of prescription drug addiction, we should also be aware that prescription drugs have done more good than evil in the world. If you have any concerns about your medicines, call your doctor.
