To wonder how people get addicted to prescription drugs?

[popcornwizard]

Just that really. I've been given a few bottles of oramorph for pain relief. It works, I can see how people get addicted to its warm fuzzy, but the complete inability to function must of the time is very frustrating. So how does the addiction thing happen? Do people lie about the pain? Or would the GP keep prescribing it if I staged a sit in and made demands? Or is it acquired by illegal methods? Never really given it much thought, just hear the 'addicted to prescription drugs' phrase bandied about.

I had some very hard core opiates during treatment for cancer and more recently when I broke my arm in 6 places. The feeling of pretty much instant relief from the pain would no doubt be very addictive, I remember taking my first dose and honestly it was like an out of body experience finally being free from agonising bone pain. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) for me opiates give me horrendous nausea so I could never take them for more than a day at a time. But I can absolutely see how you could become addicted.

I fell and broke my pelvis a couple of years ago. When I got out of hospital I was prescribed Percocets for pain. I had read many stories of people becoming addicted to prescription painkillers, and was determined it wouldn't happen to me. I watched my intake very carefully, and used less than half of the initial prescription.

I don't really understand drug addiction, but surely people know the danger.

I've been taking a benzodiazepine for years. For mental, not physical pain. No idea if I'm addicted, don't care.

The word "addiction" is being thrown around a lot here carrying a very slight edge of moral judgement (I notice one person used the word "willpower", suggesting that addiction is simply "not having enough willpower" ....)

In the case of benzodiazepines it's a true physical habituation - the drugs cause a change in brain chemistry - specifically GABAa receptors en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GABAA_receptor_positive_allosteric_modulator - and having done that, if you stop taking them, the brain misses them, and you can have seizures leading to death. This is why patients are advised to never just stop taking them. It was one of the reasons DW had a miserable pregnancy, as she nearly died trying to stop taking them, and hated having to take them because of the risks to (born beautifully healthy ) DS.

As some might have guessed, this is a bit of a "thing" with me for obvious reasons.

Some addiction is really psychological - people do just believe themselves into thinking they need a substance. But other forms aren't anything to do with the mind. It's their bodies needing the actual chemical.

Probably the easiest drug to get addicted to is alcohol - and you can get that not only off prescription, but from someone with no medical qualifications whatsoever. Go figure. After that tobacco is a pretty powerful habituant. Or rather the nicotine in tobacco.

also, alcohol withdrawal can kill you. it nearly killed me.

the case of benzodiazepines it's a true physical habituation - the drugs cause a change in brain chemistry - specifically GABAa receptors en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GABAA_receptor_positive_allosteric_modulator - and having done that, if you stop taking them, the brain misses them, and you can have seizures leading to death. This is why patients are advised to never just stop taking them. It was one of the reasons DW had a miserable pregnancy, as she nearly died trying to stop taking them, and hated having to take them because of the risks to (born beautifully healthy smile) DS.

Never been told told this. I have them on and off when in extreme pain.
Also had them prescribed for 3 weeks when i had large clot. I stopped them as soon as the pain eased, before then.Never told to just stop taking them or any risks.

I was prescribed Diclofenic and Dihydrocodeine for (arthtitic) pain. 5 months later I get the Dicolofenic on repeat no problem but they wouldn't give me the Dihydrocodeine beyond that initial one month script.

Am on the lookout for a new pain relief as mine has become less effective. I'll be steering clear of anything codeine or morphine based if I can - pain is at quite a debilitating level though and I do need to be able to function and walk.