The word ‘drugs’ provokes an uneasy feeling in the ear of the listener. Destroyed lives, lifeless eyes, and addiction are the things we tend to think of upon mention of the “D-word”. However, even ordinary coughing pills are, technically, drugs.
Drugs are defined as substances that alter our body, psychologically, and/or physiologically. Doctors know how to differ the harmful from medication. But it does not harm to get some information about the strength of some legal drugs.
Opioids
In the past couple of years, we heard a lot about the opioid crisis in the news. Problems started in the 1990s when Purdue Pharma marketed their OxyContin. In their campaign, they underestimated the addictiveness of opioids.
The misinformation leads to an overprescription of painkillers. Many patients developed an addiction to opioids. Once they were not capable of getting a prescription or could not afford the pills, they resolved to street drugs with similar effects. One prominent alternative is heroin.
ADHD Medications
Adderall and Ritalin are used to treat ADHD. They are practical, and no one can deny that. However, ADHD medications have a history of abuse. They are known as study drugs because students are not shy of trying Adderall or Ritalin when preparing for exams. They are highly addictive, and studying on these pills is like playing with fire.
Doctors prescribe ADHD medications to children diagnosed with the disorder. As they are addictive, misdiagnosing one case can put the child through hell. Severe fatigue, depression, and include agitation are some of the withdrawal symptoms from these pills.
Methadone
Methadone is most famous as medicine used to treat addiction from opioids. However, this drug is a prescription pain killer. It has an advantage over opioids because it won’t put you in a euphoric state.
A couple of years ago researchers found out that an overdose of methadone is fatal. Since this discovery, this drug is used less as a painkiller. For that reason, patients of opioid use disorder take only one dose of methadone at their clinic, instead of buying it to take at home.
Benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepines bring a host of adverse side effects with them. These depressants should never be combined with other medication or alcohol. Doing so puts you at a high risk of a fatal overdose. Taking Benzodiazepines on your own without company is not safe. These pills reduce your respiration and heart rate to life-threatening levels.
Benzodiazepines are addictive substances. After about two weeks of actual consummation, your body won’t function properly without its dose. Long-term use leaves permanent damage to your brain. These include slow reactions, weak coordination, and poor concentration. Driving under Benzodiazepines is the same as driving drunk.
Playing with Fire
Taking opioids, Benzodiazepines, Methadone, and ADHD medication is similar to playing with fire. Fire is warm and keeps you at life, but walking through it is fatal. The same could be said for these prescription drugs. Taking them with responsibility heals various disorders, but recreational use has long-lasting consequences. Use, but never abuse.
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