Prescription Drugs FAQ

Opioids and Heroin Use Statistics

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) report provides the latest estimates on substance use and mental health in the nation, including the misuse of opioids across the nation. Opioids include heroin use and pain reliever misuse.

In 2016, there were 11.8 million people aged 12 or older who misused opioids in the past year and the majority of that use is pain reliever misuse rather than heroin use.

There were 11.5 million prescription pain reliever mis-users and 948,000 heroin users.

Do I have a prescription-drug abuse problem?

If you are prescribed drugs such as painkillers and are concerned you have a problem, try answering these questions.

1. Do you take more medication than prescribed?
2. Do you need to take increasing amounts of your medication to “feel the effects”?
3. Are your friends or family members saying there’s a problem?
4. Do you go to more than one doctor to get prescriptions for the same or similar medications?
5. Do you lie to healthcare professionals in order to get prescriptions?
6. Do you continue to take excessive amounts of prescription drugs despite negative consequences (fatigue, dizziness, nausea)?
7. Have you ever tried to control or stop your use of prescription drugs without success?

If you answered “Yes” to one or more of these questions, you may have a problem with prescription drugs.

Effects of prescription-drug abuse

The effects of prescription drug abuse vary depending on the type of medication being abused. This table lists general short- and long-term effects to expect.

Short-term prescription drug effects 

Opioids (opiates), including OxyContin, Oxycodone (Percocet), Hydrocodone (Vicodin), Lortab, etc.:

• Euphoria
• Sedation/drowsiness
• Impaired thinking
• Memory loss
• Impaired coordination
• Blocked pain messages
• Depressed respiration/overdose/death
• Constipation

CNS Depressants (such as benzodiazepines, i.e. Valium, Ativan, Xanax or barbiturates such as phenobarbital)

• Drowsiness
• Slowing of the heart rate
• Low blood pressure
• Feelings of euphoria
• Slowed/impaired motor coordination
• Memory loss
• Impaired thinking
• Depressed respiration/overdose/death

Stimulants (i.e. amphetamines such as Dexedrine and Adderall):

• Euphoria
• Increased alertness and energy
• Depressed appetite
• Sleep deprivation
• Increased heart rate and respiration
• Elevated blood pressure

Long-term prescription drug effects

Opioids:

• Potential for tolerance, physical dependence, withdrawal and/or addiction
• Severe respiratory depression leading to death
• Liver damage

CNS Depressants:

• Potential for tolerance, physical dependence and addiction
• Withdrawal symptoms such as seizure, anxiety, paranoia, insomnia, and psychosis when use is lessened or discontinued
• Impaired memory
• Liver damage

Stimulants:

• Tolerance
• Cardiovascular failure or lethal seizures
• Severe weight loss
• Physical deterioration
• Hostility or feelings of paranoia

Treatment for Prescription Drug Addiction

At Support Systems Homes, we provide a variety of effective treatments and services for addiction to prescription medications. Depending on which rehab method would be most successful, we may combine several of the following.

(All treatments are given at our San Jose rehab center is provided by certified medical professionals.)

Detoxification: Many types of prescription medication cause severe addiction when used over time. Withdrawal from the medication is painful and potentially dangerous. To minimize risk, we always perform a detox in our rehab centers, where a nurse or doctor is monitoring you the whole time.