RX Drug Rehab in New Hanover | Quantum Behavioral Health

Prescription Drug Rehab in New Hanover

Prescription drug misuse is one of the major contributors to the opioid epidemic that has been going on in the United Stats for the past few decades. Addiction to prescription medication can actually happen when you use the medicines as directly, and is that much more likely when you abuse Rx drugs. Substance use disorders cover a wide gamut of drugs, including alcohol, and there is no “safe drug” to use. Misuse of prescription drugs often happens under the guise of using pain medication or other medicine for the right reason, but not under the orders of a medical professional. There are several ways that misuse of prescription drugs occurs. Here are a few of the circumstances involved:

• Self Medication Using Your Own Prescription Medication: Individuals are often given medication to treat pain after an accident or surgery. One way prescription drug misuse occurs is when the person who has been issued the prescription decides they need more of the drug than what was ordered by their medical professional. This can be due to the fact that while taking the RX medication as directed, they built up a tolerance. If you are taking any type of medication ordered by a medical professional and the way a drug is affecting you changes, you should inform your doctor immediately. If you’ve never taken pain medications before, you should ask your doctor any questions you have and learn more about prescription medication before you start a course of treatment.
• Using Someone Else’s Prescription Medication for “Legitimate” Reasons: In many cases, substance abuse and mental health professionals learn about people they are treating who took someone else’s medication. This can lead to several issues, including opioid overdose. When someone is prescribed pain medication by a medical professional, that highly trained individual takes many factors into mind before issuing a prescription drug. When someone who has not been specifically prescribed a pain medication takes it on their own, they do not know if the dosage is right, if they are allergic to anything in the medicine, and can also become addicted as they conduct this form of substance abuse.
• A third way that the misuse of prescription medication takes place is when someone uses opioid drugs for recreational purposes or to get high for any reason. Prescription opioids can cause euphoria and this feeling is sought after by drug abusers. Some drug abusers switch between illicit drugs and prescription opioids when one becomes easier to acquire than the other. Rx drug abuse of this type can easily lead to drug addiction. Abuse and addiction to prescription medications may seem less harmful than using street drugs, but no matter the drug, substance use disorders can cause a lot of harm to the individual and any of their loved ones closely involved in their lives.

If you or one of your loved ones has an abuse or addiction problem with prescription opioids or any other Rx drug, call us at Quantum Behavioral Health today. We have drug treatment programs that can help with withdrawal symptoms, opioid use disorder, dual diagnosis treatment, and other substance abuse issues.

What Is RX Rehab Like?

Prescription drugs addiction treatment can sometimes be a multi-phase process depending on the substance abuse level of the individual. It’s always important to find a prescription drug rehab program that has flexible options for opioid use disorder. Drug treatment is not a one size fits all situation. It’s very important for someone struggling with opioid use disorder to get the exact treatment they need based on their circumstances and experiences. When you abuse prescription drugs, depending on the exact medicine, changes to your body, including your brain can occur. By taking part in a comprehensive program for the treatment of prescription drug abuse and addiction, the professionals involved can ensure all of the issues you are facing are addressed.

Rx drug addiction rehab can take place in either an outpatient treatment program or a residential rehab center environment. Sometimes people go through both these levels of care as part of their overall treatment for opioid use disorder. Opioid treatment in inpatient rehab and outpatient rehab both have their merits. The important part is that a person addicted to prescription medications gets into a treatment program that’s right for them and that they can commit to as part of their addiction recovery journey.

What To Expect During RX Rehab

If you are taking part in treatment for prescription drug abuse in an inpatient recovery center, your day will be structured to encompass several things on a regular schedule. This is what a typical day in residential recovery programs looks like:

• Early Morning: Guests enjoy a healthy breakfast. Eating right and getting plenty of hydration is a big part of drug rehab as people who are addicted to an Rx drug or any other substance often ignore their general health. Optional types of therapy, like yoga or music, may occur in the early AM, too.
• Mid Morning: The rest of the morning can include group therapy sessions with other addiction and abuse patients, twelve steps program meeting, and other relapse prevention and coping skills educational sessions.
• Afternoon: The later part of the day often includes behavioral therapy sessions, individual sessions reviewing why a person has been abusing prescription drugs, and any other specialized therapy sessions, like family therapy.

If you are in an outpatient treatment program, you will be able to take advantage of some of the same prescription drug abuse care options, while working, going to school, and returning home each evening. In some cases, people may take advantage of sober living homes during part of tier outpatient treatment. Individual and group therapy options are both available as part of prescription drug addiction treatment at Quantum Behavioral Health.

How Long Does RX Rehab Last in New Hanover?

How long does Rx drug rehab last in Hanover, or any other city in America, is a question that drug addiction treatment professionals hear all of the time. The answer is that there is no set amount of time for any specific individual when it comes to RX drug rehab, or treatment of any other substance use disorders. Each person who has developed prescription drug addiction or needs substance abuse treatment for any other drug or alcohol, needs to progress on their own schedule. Their addiction recovery timeline will be dictated by several factors. These factors include:

• How long a person has been addicted to an Rx drug
• The age and general physical and mental health of the person in prescription drug rehab
• Whether they have a dual diagnosis and mental health disorders are also something for which they need treatment.
• Which Rx drug or drugs they have been abusing
• What treatment programs and levels of care they are comfortable participating in, for example residential treatment or outpatient rehab.
• If a specialized treatment program is right for them, like an Intensive Outpatient
• Program (PHP) or Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)

All of these factors must be considered when a course for prescription drug rehab is created for a patient. How long the treatment programs a person takes part in will take will still often be determined as they go and how well they progress.

Top Abused Prescription Drugs

There are many commonly abused drugs that are known by either their generic or brand name. An Rx drug is sometimes also marketed under different names if it is used for more than one type of medical issue. Here’s a list of commonly abused drugs, broken down by type with a brand name shown in parentheses:

Opioids – Medically they are primarily used for pain relief, including anesthesia.

• Fentanyl (Duragesic)
• Hydrocodone (Vicodin)
• Oxycodone (OxyContin)
• Oxymorphone (Darvon)
• Hydromorphone (Dilaudid)
• Meperidine (Demerol)
• Diphenoxylate (Lomotil)
• Morphine Sulfate

Central Nervous System (CNS) Depressants – These medications are prescription drugs that lower neurotransmission levels, which is to depress or reduce arousal or stimulation, in various areas of the brain.

• Pentobarbital sodium (Nembutal)
• Diazepam (Valium)
• Alprazolam (Xanax)
• Zolpidem Tartrate (Ambien)
• Sertraline (Zoloft)

Stimulants – A drug in this category can increase activity in the central nervous system and the body, and are also drugs that are pleasurable and invigorating, or drugs that have sympathomimetic effects.

• Dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine)
• Methylphenidate (Ritalin and Concerta)
• Amphetamines (Adderall)

Outside of commonly abused drugs, therapists, counselors, and medical professionals who work in the drug rehab in New Hanover area often see people mix substances, including alcohol and many drugs, as well as take substances together, like a stimulant and a depressant, for a different type of high.

Why Choose Quantum Behavioral Health for RX Rehab

When you are looking for drug abuse and mental health treatment, it’s important to find an organization that is caring, supportive, and 100% a partner in your addiction recovery. At Quantum Behavioral Health, we have the treatment programs and abuse and addiction professions to help you or one of your loved ones. Call us today to talk about the types of treatment and levels of care we offer. We want to help you get past your addiction to prescription drugs and move on to a happier, healthier phase in life.