Meaningful Treatment with Dignity

Prescription
Drug Addiction

Contact us today

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Prescription Drug Addiction Treatment in Pennsylvania

We Can Help You Beat Addiction

Every day, people across the country are prescribed medications to treat a wide range of medical conditions. Patients everywhere count on doctors and physicians to provide them with the prescription drugs they need to manage pain, reduce symptoms, and cure illnesses. Unfortunately, the U.S. has encountered an epidemic of prescription drug abuse.

Prescription drug addiction may result from:

  • An unnecessary prescription for opioids

  • A patient abusing or misusing their prescription

  • A doctor prescribing medication too frequently

Other factors contribute to a person’s likelihood of becoming addicted to or dependent on prescription drugs. Pain, chronic stress, trauma, and mental illness are all common risk factors.

If you or someone you love is suffering from prescription drug addiction, there is hope. You do not need to face the problem alone. Seek prescription drug addiction treatment in Pennsylvania from Silvermist. We offer comprehensive and holistic treatment options designed with each client’s unique needs in mind.

Give us a call at (724) 268-4858 to learn more about how Silvermist can assist you.

Understanding Prescription Drug Addiction

Prescription drug abuse, addiction, and dependence are considered to be substance use disorders. Substance use disorders can be mild, moderate, or severe.

Some of the signs and symptoms of prescription drug addiction and abuse include:

  • Confusion or drowsiness

  • Nausea

  • Poor judgment

  • Slurred speech

  • Change in personality

  • Inability to focus or concentrate

  • Slowed breathing rate

  • Constipation

  • Seizures

  • Appetite loss

  • Aggressive behavior

Though these disorders can be difficult to cure, it is possible with the right treatment methods. At Silvermist, we offer tried-and-true treatment options that have been designed to holistically treat the condition and address the various issues that users face while on the path to recovery.

Silvermist offers treatment for:

Prescription Drug Abuse Leads to Heroin Addiction

For many people, prescription drug abuse leads to heroin addiction, but their intentions were never to become addicted to something. People have accidents, need surgery or develop conditions that result in chronic pain. A doctor then prescribes opioid painkillers for pain relief.

When prescription medications are used in ways not intended by prescribing doctors or when people develop tolerance to the medication, addiction can develop.

How Prescription Medication Use Becomes Abuse

Individuals can develop a painkiller addiction when they have to take increasing quantities of the medication to gain the same previous effects, which is known as tolerance. Another sign of addiction is when people experience unpleasant symptoms if they don’t take enough medication, which is known as withdrawal.

As tolerance increases and withdrawal prevents decreasing the dosage, people may take medications in ways that increase potency. Grinding and snorting or injecting pills gets the drug into the bloodstream faster, resulting in more intense highs. In a relatively short period of time, these types of prescription drug abuse can become addiction.

Heroin Addiction: The Black Market

When people with a prescription opioid addiction can’t get a legitimate supply, they will sometimes be driven to look for an illicit alternative. Prescription drug abuse leads to heroin addiction when that alternative is heroin, a drug that is often cheaper and more easily available than a prescription.

Individuals who turn to the black market for heroin do so because it’s cheap, readily available and will satisfy their cravings, as well as relieve or prevent withdrawal symptoms.

But heroin is deadly. Buyers do not know the purity level of the drug they’re purchasing, which can lead to unintentional overdose. A heroin overdose causes slow and shallow breathing, low blood pressure, weak pulse, bluish-colored lips and fingernails, convulsions and coma, and it can be fatal.

The Science of How Prescription Drug Abuse Leads to Heroin Addiction

With continued use of prescription painkillers, the receptors that control the brain’s pleasure/reward system undergo changes, decreasing in number in response to the increase in stimuli. What used to naturally produce pleasurable feelings, such as eating food, being with loved ones or having sex, no longer provides enjoyment. Once the structure and function of the brain have changed from prolonged opioid use, only opioid drugs can trigger pleasant sensations.

When people depend on prescription drugs and that supply is cut off for whatever reason, they may turn to heroin for its pleasurable, euphoric effects. Over time, the brain adapts to heroin as a substance it needs to function normally. The brain triggers cravings for more heroin once the euphoria begins to wear off. Withdrawal will begin if the cravings aren’t satisfied with more heroin.

Treatment Options for Prescription Drug Addiction in Pennsylvania

At Silvermist, we are determined to find the right treatment methods for each client. We recognize that every client is unique and will require a personalized treatment plan.

Treatment options include:

  • Medical detox: Medical detox helps people withdraw from prescription drugs safely and comfortably. It involves medications to reduce withdrawal symptoms and shorten the duration of detox.

  • Medication-assisted treatment (MAT): MAT combines medication – either methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone – and therapy. It has been proven effective in increasing engagement in addiction treatment and reducing the risk of overdose death and relapse.

Offering prescription drug addiction treatment in Pennsylvania, Silvermist should be the first facility you call if you or your loved one is battling addiction.

Reach out to us today at (724) 268-4858.