The Harrowing Prevalence of Doctors Overprescribing Opiates

The Harrowing Prevalence of Doctors Overprescribing Opiates

Are doctors in the US really overprescribing opiates? This question has been getting more attention as the spotlight on opiate addiction has widened from its focus on street heroin. There are many factors that have contributed to prescription opiates occupying more medicine cabinet space in the US, and making up a substantial portion of the illegal drug market. It has become impossible to ignore the fact that aggressive sales tactics by pharmaceutical representatives have contributed significantly to this growing problem.

For Drug Companies, Opiates are an Easy Sell

Several studies related to the opioid epidemic have pointed out that the marketing of drugs has exacerbated the addiction issue in the US. Unnecessary overuse of opiates is driven largely by marketing and advertising aimed at doctors. Drug ads in medical journals that might get all of their funding from advertising often have recommendations for specific drugs, whereas journals that stay in business through subscription fees tend to have articles that recommend against those same pills.1

Drug Marketing Often Focuses on Drugs With the Least Patient Benefit—and Highest Profit

The drugs that pharmaceutical companies choose to focus their direct-to-doctor marketing on tend to cause patients more harm than good.2 Researchers also found that a top-selling class of drugs known as atypical antipsychotics had little evidence that most patients got any benefit from taking them.3 With such well-funded, pushy and often deceptive marketing techniques, it’s no wonder there are so many doctors overprescribing opiates today.

Other Key Factors Contribute to the Rise of Opiate Prescriptions

Between 1991 and 2011, prescriptions for opiate painkillers increased steadily each year. The National Institute on Drug Abuse recognized that the rise in prescriptions contributed significantly to the rising trend of addiction and abuse. They found Increasing social acceptability of prescription drug use to be another important factor in the trend of doctors overprescribing opiates.4

With the Right Help, Recovery From Opiate Addiction is Possible

With so many doctors over-prescribing opiates in recent years, more and more people have become addicted. If you or your loved one is suffering from a painkiller addiction, call us today for help. Recovery Connection can help you assess your situation and let you know how to move forward down the path of recovery. Call us today at 866-812-8231.

  1. “Drug Companies’ aggressive marketing harms public health: studies,” last updated February 2011, http://www.rawstory.com/2011/02/drug-companies-aggressive-marketing-harms-public-health-studies/
  2. “The Inverse Benefit Law: How Drug Marketing Undermines Patient Safety and Public Health,” last updated March 2011, http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/full/10.2105/AJPH.2010.199844
  3. “Increasing off-label use of antipsychotic medications in the United States, 1995–2008,” last updated February 2011, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pds.2082/full
  4. “America’s Addiction to Opioids: Heroin and Prescription Drug Abuse,”last updated May 2014, https://www.drugabuse.gov/about-nida/legislative-activities/testimony-to-congress/2016/americas-addiction-to-opioids-heroin-prescription-drug-abuse

Where To Find Help For Cocaine Addiction Treatment

Where To Find Help For Cocaine Addiction Treatment

Finding Cocaine Addiction Treatment Through Recovery ConnectionDeciding to get help for cocaine addiction is the first step to a sober life. The second is finding a treatment center that will provide you with the best multidisciplinary treatment programs. With the right treatment, you give yourself a better chance of successful sobriety. Incomplete treatment or no treatment at all could cause you to relapse and experience even more severe problems with cocaine addiction.

There are many different treatment options out there. It can be overwhelming sifting through all of them to find the perfect treatment center for you. Recovery Connection can help with this frustrating process.

How Can Recovery Connection Help With Cocaine Addiction?

Recovery Connection strives to provide patients with the information and tools they need to get—and stay—sober. Our dedicated team connects patients with programs built around research and the best practices available. We want to ensure that each patient who contacts us receives the treatment and care that he or she needs.

We partner with professional individuals and organizations around the United States. Their programs and support are available to those with addiction problems, their loved ones, and others who support them. Each program we lead people to helps them in different stages of their treatment. We can help those recovering from addiction find and enter a program such as:

These programs have treatments available to help with specific areas of a person’s life. Those with psychiatric problems, for instance, will need a program that also has dual diagnosis treatment in order to help both their psychiatric issues and their addiction treatment. Patients with a strong family unit will want to consider family therapy, which allows loved ones to seek the support they need while they learn how to loved ones cope with life after rehabilitation. No matter what addicted people’s needs are, we can find an adaptive treatment plan that works for them.

Paying For Cocaine Addiction Treatment

We understand that paying for cocaine addiction treatment isn’t easy. Luckily, anyone with health insurance has help available to pay for treatment costs. All health insurance providers are required by law to offer some addiction treatment coverage. You must, however, find an addiction treatment center that accepts insurance from your healthcare provider.

We work with treatment centers that accept many different types of medical insurance including Aetna and Blue Cross Blue Shield. While every treatment center might not be open to you, there will be many that accept your medical insurance.

Even with that assistance, health insurance often won’t cover all the associated treatment costs. The thought of paying for some addiction treatment might turn a few away, but overtime treatment will cost much less than continuing drug use. Plus, stopping the purchase of drugs will immediately free up money that individuals can use for treatment costs. There are always payment options for those looking for assistance.

Find Help For Cocaine Addiction Through Recovery Connection

Sobriety is a possibility for you. There are treatment options out there that will help you fight cocaine addiction and will get you on a track to success. All you have to do is find the treatment centers and programs that will help you quit.

Allow Recovery Connection to help you. We can find the right treatment for you. Contact us today at 866-812-8231 and let us help you get started on the road to a sober life.

Do I Need Detox From Heroin?

How Do I Get Started with a Detox from Heroin?

Do I Need Detox From Heroin?

Do I Need Detox From Heroin?

How Do I Get Started with a Detox from Heroin?

At some point during their addiction, most people suffering from heroin dependence will realize that they want to stop using it. A fear of withdrawal may set in at this stage, making individuals wonder if quitting is worth the painful side effects.

While it’s true that the physical symptoms of withdrawal can be uncomfortable, even dangerous in some extreme cases, the reality is that with professional help, detox from heroin can be undertaken safely and with minimal discomfort.

Getting the Right Help Is Important

For many who are suffering from addiction, the symptoms of withdrawal are all too familiar. Ranging from flu-like symptoms to frightening mental disturbances, these symptoms are a big motivator to end the detox from heroin and get the next fix. Even worse than the symptoms themselves is the anticipation of them, and the fear of how bad they will be.

Getting a professional assessment can mean the difference between a successful detox and a series of panic attacks that lead right back to the drug in a desperate search for relief. Admittedly, facing heroin detox can be scary. On the other hand, facing it alone is terrifying. Taking the initiative to contact a rehabilitation facility can help calm your fears and get you on a confident path to recovery. Getting involved with a detox program helps you cultivate the right attitude and set the right expectations for detox. Remember that the benefits of quitting heroin far outweigh the short-term withdrawal symptoms.

What Are Withdrawal Symptoms Like?

Withdrawal symptoms vary depending on the severity of the addiction. The following are the most common symptoms experienced within eight hours of stopping heroin:

  • Painful Cramps
  • Stomach Upset
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Insomnia
  • Muscle soreness
  • Depression
  • A feeling that something awful is about to happen
  • Anxiety
  • Lethargy
  • Runny nose
  • Fever
  • Chills
  • Sweating
  • Loss of appetite

These symptoms usually last between 2–7 days. After the initial detox from heroin, acute post-withdrawal symptoms can persist for several months, which is why it’s important to get support from people who have been through the experience and are fully in recovery. Longer term symptoms may include:

  • Trouble concentrating
  • Difficulty maintaining a sleep schedule
  • Feeling of being overwhelmed by normal stress
  • Manic emotional highs and lows
  • Cravings for heroin
  • Trouble with short- and long-term memory
  • Cyclical, anxious thought patterns

The Right Time to Ask For Help is Now

You’re ready to make the change and start a better life. You know that you need detox from heroin, but the next question is, “How do I get help?”

Don’t try to go it alone. Recovery Connection can help with your questions about detox, rehab, and recovery. Your chances of maintaining sobriety are greatly increased when you work with professional detox facilities and rehab centers. We’ll make sure you get connected with others in your community who know what you’re going through and are ready to support you while you do the hard work of saving your life.

Call Recovery Connection today at 800-993-3869. We’ll set you up with the right expectations for recovery and allay your fears about detox and withdrawal.