Nobody is suggesting that drug rehab centers and are being filled with little old ladies, but the patients in drug treatment facilities now include ordinary patients in danger of overdose of drugs like OxyContin due to their chronic disease.

Overdose of prescription drugs like OxyContin, Fentanyl and Methadone is not limited to drug addicts or weekend abusers any more. Law abiding people with back pain are dying from overdose now.

This simple fact has changed the whole picture of drug rehab in United States. For years drug rehab centers and even alcohol rehab centers in United States were treating, for the most part, addicts who started as casual users and abusers. Not anymore. Experts in pain treatment and drug abuse prevention say the growing use of long-acting pain killers like OxyContin, Fentanyl and Methadone has been directly related to nationwide epidemic of overdose deaths, from the abuse of such drugs. These days it is not unusual to see patients with chronic pains ending in a drug rehab center. We all remember the famous radio talk show personality, Rush Limbaugh and his ordeal with pain killer addiction. Rush ended up staying away from his popular radio program for about a month while going through a drug rehabilitation program in a drug rehab center.

Fatalities from prescription drug overdoses in the nation are the second-leading cause of accidental death behind car accidents. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; in some states prescription drug overdose is the leading cause of the fatalities. This grim statistic alone is enough reason for the nation’s authorities in drug addiction prevention and drug addiction rehabilitation to declare prescription drug addiction an epidemic and target their efforts on effective prevention and treatment of this particular drug addiction.

While seven (7) percent of all prescribed drugs last year were narcotic painkillers, the number of patient annually taking long-acting versions of them has increased about 30 percent over the last decade. This can explain the fact that there has been a multi-fold increase in drug rehabs and drug treatment centers in US.

Yes, many patients benefit from painkillers; nonetheless there is growing evidence that many suffer significant side effects, including lethargy, increased sensitivity to pain and, in the most severe instances, potentially fatal overdoses, as suggested by many studies, including one in Washington State.

Pain specialists believe that doctors are giving high daily dosages of powerful drugs for ailments like back pain for far too long without evidence that the drugs works.

Both Dr. Cahana and Dr. Gary M. Franklin, the medical director of the state’s Department of Labor and Industries, based on different and independent studies have concluded that too many pain patients are getting drugs at dosages that are too high for too long. Their findings suggest even a greater increase in prescription drug addiction and more people ending in drug rehab centers all across United States.

Dr. Cahana, who works at the University of Washington Medical Center strongly believes in a direct correlation between poor pain management and the hyperconsumption of opioids such as narcotic pain killers like OxyContin.

If you have come across our article, is because you or someone you love is in need of help for Oxycodone addiction. Cove Center for Recovery is an Addiction Treatment Center offering a premier drug addiction treatment program that can help you or your loved one. Our aim is to treat the whole person, and not just an isolated symptom. During the addiction treatment process we will work with the client to identify the factors that may have contributed to their addiction– home, work, relationships and medical history. We also believe that families have a vital role to play in the recovery process, and each program has a place for family participation, to educate them in the addiction treatment process and to equip them for their role as supporters.

Call us at 1-888-387-6237 for further information on our OxyContin Addiction Treatment for adults and young adults.

For information on Addiction Treatment for teens, contact 1-888-757-6237 .
Visit our website at: www.inspirationsyouth.com

Based on article by: BARRY MEIER
Published: July 28, 2010 in New York Times

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