Drug dependence occurs with prolonged use or repeated course of the same medications, after the cancellation of which there is a deterioration in health. There is a relapse of the disease, a person's immersion in a depressive state. The next intake of the drug or an increase in its dosage will help to change the poor state of health.

A person suffering from addiction cannot control himself and takes medications without a doctor's prescription and urgent need for it.

A person's addiction to drugs occurs due to their unreasonably long use, or a decrease in sensitivity to the drug, requiring an additional dose. Such dependence is formed due to genetic, social, psychological factors. Thinking, perception of the world as a whole changes, pain and fear recede, an irresistible desire to receive a portion of an emotionally positive state appears.

Cancellation of the drug leads to physical and mental disorders. The syndrome provokes a person to resort to the same remedy for an increasingly long time, gradually increasing the dose.

When visiting a doctor, there is a fear of canceling the medication, an adult may experience uncontrollable hysteria if it is necessary to refuse it.

Which drugs are more and more addictive?

Drug dependence is divided into two types - addiction to drugs that eliminate the symptoms of the underlying disease and drugs that affect metabolism and nervous regulation. Not all medications are addictive.

The first type of substances includes painkillers, antidepressants, tranquilizers and others used for insomnia, panic attacks, autonomic disorders, and cough relief. All these diseases require long-term treatment, and the elimination of symptoms is an integral part of therapy.

However, many patients, when the first signs of the disease are eliminated, stop taking medications, and the underlying disease returns. The patient again, as a rule, without consulting a doctor, uses the means known to him. As a result, the underlying disease has not been cured, and drug addiction develops.

The prognosis in this case is favorable, but requires a clear implementation of all the recommendations of a specialist.

The second type of addiction is addiction to drugs acting on the central nervous system, psychotropic drugs, narcotic analgesics, large doses of tranquilizers, less often glucocorticosteroids.

Stopping the intake of these substances can lead to damage to the peripheral nervous system and the brain.

Treatment in this case is not always favorable and depends on the degree of damage to the nerve cells.

Types of drug addiction

Drug addiction is categorized as physical, psychological, and withdrawal. Each of the stages has its own symptoms.

Physical

At this stage, in order to avoid mental, neurological, vegetative-somatic disorders that occur when the drug is discontinued, a person continues to take medications without a doctor's recommendation. What leads to abstinence - deviations at the physical and psychological levels.

Mental

Taking pills becomes an obsession, a person is drawn to certain drugs that he has been using for a long time. It occurs during a break in the use or the introduction of substances that reduce the effect of the medication. There is an increase in the dose of the drug.

Withdrawal syndrome

With a sharp withdrawal of the drug, a hypertensive crisis, arrhythmia, angina pectoris, thromboembolism and other negative reactions of the body occur.

Symptoms

Many people daily use various medications necessary to normalize their psyche or physical health. Manifestations of addiction are:

• slight or severe pain;
• vegetative crises;
• increased nervous excitement;
• slowness of actions;
• blood pressure disorders;
• lack of strength, lethargy, sleep disturbance;
• change in blood tests.

The listed symptoms appear when the regimen and the amount of the drug used are violated. You should immediately consult a doctor.

Diagnostics

It is quite easy to determine that a person has developed drug dependence for relatives or the attending physician. It is enough to observe the person, and if doubts arise, make them take a blood test. Addiction can be diagnosed by the following criteria:

• an overwhelming need to use certain drugs;
• increasing the dose of the agent used;
• anxiety, irritability before stopping treatment;
• trembling hands, increased sweating;
• intolerance to loud sounds, bright light;
• personality change.

In this situation, it is necessary to determine the degree of dependence, and the patient's desire to fight addiction, because the scheme and the result of treatment depend on this.

How is drug dependence treated?

The therapy used to eliminate addiction to drugs is based on the degree of addiction and the type of drugs. The main factor here is the will and readiness of a person to recover. For strict adherence to the recommendations of a specialist, inpatient treatment is necessary, including a full complex - psychotherapy, cleansing the body, prescribing drugs, physiotherapy exercises, as well as occupational therapy.

During treatment, there is a regular decrease in the daily dose of the dependent drug until it is completely abandoned or replaced with a less complex one. Then the underlying disease and internal organs affected by drug addiction are treated. First of all, it is the liver, kidneys, and the nervous system. Psychotherapy is aimed at getting rid of depression and the desire to start taking medications again, which led to addiction.

Drug dependence is very difficult to treat. The sooner addiction to drugs is diagnosed, the more likely a complete cure is, and the harm done to the body will be minimal.

The basis of rehabilitation is the participation of relatives, attending group or individual therapy sessions. The cured person must be under the supervision of a psychotherapist. It is necessary to strictly follow all the doctor's recommendations at discharge, to continue to engage in exercise therapy.

It is necessary to avoid increased nervousness, feelings of anxiety, depression. Then the desire to resort to medication will not arise.

How to prevent the development of addiction?

In order to prevent addiction to drugs, one should not self-medicate. Pharmacists in pharmacies are also incompetent in making a diagnosis and even more so in prescribing therapy.

Drugs for the treatment of diseases and the determination of their dosage is the prerogative of a physician of the appropriate profile. Those. the psychiatrist, not the therapist, should treat depression and give prescriptions for psychotropic substances.

Drug dependence occurs in some patients with prolonged use of medications. It is characterized by the development of a number of negative symptoms after termination, a general deterioration in health, and mental changes.

It should be understood that drug dependence is not synonymous with drug addiction. It can be provoked by various compounds with psychoactive effects, but not all of them are used as drugs.

In drug addiction, addiction is one of the elements of the clinical picture. There are psychoactive drugs that lead to the development of drug dependence, but the drug is not abused and the person does not become a drug addict.

Forms

Pathological drug addiction manifests itself in psychological and physical forms. A number of medications generally do not lead to the development of mental dependence, characterized by an irresistible craving for taking the drug and the development of serious emotional discomfort when it is canceled, but only cause psychological attachment.

In patients with psychological dependence, when the drug is withdrawn, a pronounced decrease in the emotional background occurs, an irresistible craving for taking the substance is observed.

With physiological dependence, the patient develops a state of abstinence against the background of drug withdrawal. The body reacts to the absence of medication with negative manifestations from various organs and systems, neurological and mental disorders.

In simple speech, this state is called "breakage."

Not only a break in taking the drug, but also the administration of antagonists of the active substance to the patient can provoke the development of withdrawal symptoms. The abstinence clinic depends on the type of drug that provoked the dependence, the doses used and the duration of consumption.

Mechanisms and causes of development

The formation of psychological dependence is associated with the ability of a number of drugs to transform the emotional state, human perception, improve mood, and reduce anxiety. These are narcotic analgesics, sleeping pills, sedatives, psychostimulants, anxiolytics.

Psychic dependence is formed in certain patients under the influence of any predisposing factors (biological, hereditary, psychosocial). A person has a pronounced need for repeated administration of the drug in order to achieve emotional comfort, reduce anxiety and fear, and experience a state of euphoria.

In addition, such medications relieve the symptomatology of the pathology, but do not affect its causes, therefore, after the drug is discontinued, the patient experiences a sharp deterioration in the condition due to the recurrence of symptoms.

The person is afraid to stop using, miss the time of taking pills, or wants to re-experience euphoria.

In the development of physiological dependence, the leading role is assigned to the reactions of adaptation, which develop in response to the intake of certain substances. With prolonged use of certain drugs in the body, the number and susceptibility of synapses with which the active substance of the drug interacts changes.

In addition, the production of its own biochemical compounds may decrease, which affect the same type of receptors as the drug. For example, the use of morphines and similar substances alters the sensitivity of opioid receptors and the concentration of endogenous opioid peptides.

Simply put, the body adapts to the regular intake of a substance, changing the rate and types of its own biochemical reactions. Therefore, when the drug is discontinued, shifts in the functioning of neurotransmitter systems provoke withdrawal symptoms.

Symptoms

Drug dependence can occur during treatment with drugs in cases where the pathology is characterized by a protracted or chronic course, as well as during substitution therapy. As a rule, such dependence does not lead to the development of drug addiction and does not provoke withdrawal symptoms when the drug is discontinued.

The termination of the intake of the active substance into the body is most often characterized by an exacerbation of the disease. For example, the withdrawal of glucocorticosteroid drugs in patients with bronchial asthma leads to the fact that the attacks become more frequent and severe.

After stopping the intake (or reducing the dosage) of insulin, it can provoke a sharp jump in blood sugar and falling into a coma. Cancellation of antianginal drugs can aggravate the condition of a patient with coronary artery disease and even provoke a heart attack.

In these cases, drug dependence is a consequence of their highly effective therapeutic effect, and not incorrect prescription.

In the clinic of physiological dependence, manifestations that are directly opposite to the effects of the drug prevail. For example, after stopping the intake of barbiturates, sleep is disturbed, convulsive seizures may occur. With the abolition of morphine, intense pain, increased salivation, and diarrhea develop. After the abolition of anxiolytics and tranquilizers, there is high anxiety, anxiety, fears.

Drugs that can provoke addiction

More often addiction is caused by psychotropic medications. Persistent addiction to sedatives and hypnotics prescribed for sleep disorders, depression, anxiety can also develop.

Dependence on such drugs occurs with prolonged use in about a tenth of patients.

The following groups of medicines can provoke drug dependence:

• antidepressants;
• anxiolytics (dependence is especially widespread with prolonged use of benzodiazepines);
• antipsychotics;
• antihistamines;
• analgesics, including non-narcotic;
• glucocorticosteroids;
• cough medicines;
• vasoconstrictor agents for topical use (nasal drops);
• irritant laxatives.

Diagnostics

If a patient has a serious chronic illness, it is quite difficult to diagnose drug dependence. A thorough collection of analysis and a comprehensive examination using various diagnostic methods are required.

The doctor must study the reasons for the development of drug dependence, determine its type and degree. An indicator of the presence of physical dependence is the occurrence of withdrawal symptoms when a drug is discontinued.

Treatment

It is by no means possible to abruptly cancel the drug on which the patient depends. The dosage is reduced gradually, in parallel, another drug is introduced, which has the desired effect.

If the patient does not have a serious illness that requires constant medication support, you can simply reduce the dose of the medication without introducing a replacement.

A course of psychotherapy is required, aimed at combating uncomfortable physiological and emotional manifestations that arise in the course of treatment. The psychotherapist will help to cope with anxiety, depression, fears, to take the patient out of the state that requires taking medications.

The course of psychotherapy forms in the patient a new attitude towards the drug and his condition, allows him to gradually reduce the pathological cravings, helps to understand that he can live and feel great without medication.

If a patient has a chemical dependence, it is necessary to carry out a series of detoxification measures to remove the toxic decay products of the drug from the body.

In order to prevent drug dependence, doctors must be very careful and reasonably prescribe medications that, in principle, can be addictive.

If the patient needs long-term use of such drugs, then the attending physician should carefully monitor his condition, promptly canceling or replacing the drug with an analogue. This should be done before the first symptoms of drug dependence appear.

The appointment of any medication for a long time is exclusively in the competence of a qualified specialist.

An independent decision on the need for such therapy and uncontrolled long-term medication are unacceptable.

An important role in the prevention of drug dependence is played by the legislative restriction on the sale of potent drugs that can provoke persistent addiction.

Narcotic and non-narcotic drugs with such properties are dispensed strictly according to prescriptions.

The rules for preparing prescriptions are spelled out in the Order of the Ministry of Health of 12/20/2012 (and in its later editions).

Medical institutions keep strict records of medicines. They are in limited access, appointed exclusively by doctors and written off according to correctly drawn up acts.

Drug dependence is a syndrome that develops with prolonged use of drugs. The main symptom of the manifestation is a sharp deterioration in well-being and health with a decrease in dosages or complete withdrawal of the drug. This dependence has several characteristic developmental phases.

• Phase I: psychological dependence. This state of a person is determined by an unhealthy need to take various drugs in order to get rid of the discomfort that manifests itself in case of stopping use. At this stage, drug dependence does not manifest itself in the form of withdrawal symptoms (withdrawal symptoms).
• Phase II: physical addiction. The body begins to get used to the drug, its tolerance increases, that is, a decrease in the response to repeated administration, which leads to the need to increase the dosage, and withdrawal symptoms occur.
• Phase III: Withdrawal Syndrome. In the event of a sharp refusal or reduction in dosage, various serious deteriorations in the condition and health of a person occur.

Drug dependence can occur both from one drug, and from several at the same time. The main symptoms of this syndrome are:

• both minor and severe pain;
• increased excitability or lethargy;
• vegetative crises;
• violation of blood pressure;
• weakness and malaise;
• changes in blood biochemistry indicators.

The above symptoms appear immediately or after a short period of time after refusal or reduction in the dosage of the drug. It is important to pay attention to them and consult a doctor immediately!

How to get rid of drug addiction?

Today, experts identify several main types of drug dependence.

• Drug dependence on painkillers, antidepressants, antipsychotics. In this case, the person takes medications that effectively deal with the symptoms of the disease, but do not eliminate the cause of the disease. Often these are drugs for insomnia, headache, anxiety, panic attacks, pain in joints and muscles, and various autonomic disorders. Such medicines are prescribed by doctors for acute symptomatic manifestations of the disease. As a rule, the patient does not have enough patience, he quits treatment after the normalization of his condition, which leads him back to using the drug after a while, since the cause of the disease has not been eliminated. Often, patients return to taking medications that have helped them before without any advice from the attending physician.
• Drug dependence on tranquilizers, narcotic analgesics, psychotropic and codeine-containing drugs. With prolonged use, such drugs are included in the process of nervous regulation and metabolism of the body. Stopping the drug can cause serious disruptions in the body, the occurrence of brain and peripheral nervous system damage.

If you abuse medicines- stop doing it!

This information is not and drug use

Can pills be addictive or not?

Are sedatives, antidepressants, pain relievers, codeine drugs dangerous or not?
Anyone who has been taking sedatives for a long time wondered more than once whether he would develop drug addiction from pills or mixtures.
There is a very specific list of drugs to which addiction and dependence develop, here are the drugs - lyrica (pregabalin), zaldiar (tramadol), coaxil, elenium (chlosepid), relanium (sibazon), tazepam (nozepam), phenozepam, rohypnol, signopam, terpincod , codelack, etc. Addiction is that the body stops responding to the previous dose of pills and the person is forced to take not 1 pill, but 2-3 or more in order to cause the same effect. This is especially true of sleeping pills, which are often taken without the supervision of a doctor, from here and there is a dependence on pills. For most of the above drugs, the duration of administration should not be exceed 2-3 weeks. But there is a condition when such drugs must be taken for months and even years. For

For this purpose, there are drugs to which, in most cases, neither addiction nor dependence develops. This group of antipsychotics: Sonapax, Frenolone, Neuleptil, Teralen. These drugs are characterized by low toxicity and minimal side effects. Many of them are even allowed to be given to children. But it should be remembered that the appointment of sedative drugs can be done by a psychiatrist, neuropsychiatrist, psychotherapist, or, at least, a doctor in this specialization.

For all questions addiction to drugs, in hospital and at home, please call +7 495 782-78-12 - "Anonymous narcology Mosmedservice Moscow". A course of treatment at home is possible with a periodic visit by the attending physician, a narcologist, to carry out the necessary procedures, droppers and the use of medications. The doctor controls you, the entire course of treatment, is in touch with you 24 hours, psychologically supports you and your loved ones all the way to getting rid of addiction.

During the period of treatment at the Clinic, you will not feel misunderstanding on the part of the medical staff, all treatment is carried out anonymously, at your request you can be alone in the ward, without meeting with other patients, we will try to make your stay very comfortable and

effective.

If you abuse medicines- stop doing it!

This information is not drug propaganda, manufacturing and drug use ... The purpose of this material is to convey to people who use drugs simple principles that will help them stay healthy and avoid all sorts of diseases, one way or another associated with drug use, and most importantly, immediately begin drug addiction treatment.

Tablets containing narcotic substances

Addiction to pills sometimes takes on a severe form of dependence, this is due to the uncontrolled use of codeine-containing and tramadol-containing drugs. Such dependence on pills is comparable to heroin addiction, only withdrawal symptoms after taking drugs with codeine are much more severe and longer than with heroin. For example, withdrawal (withdrawal) from heroin lasts for 7-14 days, depending on the dose, but withdrawal from a codeine-containing drug lasts from 15 to 30 days, depending on the amount and frequency of use. Codeine is a part of some painkillers and antitussive drugs, the most famous are probably "terpinkod" and "nurofen +", these drugs are the most seriously threatening the young generation, some of the addicts have been using for almost 10 years with doses of up to 140 tablets per day (according to our experience of treating drug addicts), if we were not witnesses and participants in the treatment, it is difficult to believe.
If you are faced with such a problem as addiction to pills, and as a result of them, you need to contact the professionals in narcology by calling our center

+7 495 782-78-12 round the clock, consultation and psychological support are absolutely free.

For more information about codeine-containing drugs and dependence on pills, see:

Pain relievers or analgesics: precautions

There are many reasons to use pain relievers in everyday life: colds, headaches, muscle sprains, recurrent pain in women, etc. However, one more problem is added to the problem of pain - the lack of time for a visit to the doctor, and after all, uncontrolled intake of analgesics is fraught with unpleasant consequences. Weakening of pain is achieved by "blocking" the pathways of transmission of the pain signal to the brain, so the drug can act on organs and their systems far from the original focus of inflammation or damage. According to the American Gastroenterology Association, side effects of popular pain relievers account for 103,000 hospitalizations annually. What do you need to know in order to minimize the risk of side effects?

1. Do not take medicine on an empty stomach

Taking medications (especially non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) on an empty stomach is fraught with the formation of ulcers and increased acidity of gastric juice.

2. Do not mix drugs with alcohol

Mixing drugs with alcohol is contraindicated: side effects range from drowsiness to increased gastric acidity and can be fatal.

3. Drink plenty of water

When taking any medication, the main blow falls on the kidneys, therefore, to facilitate their work and accelerate the removal of toxic substances from the body, you need to drink enough water.

4. Do not crush or break tablets

While it may seem like a good idea to take ½ or even 1½ pills, numerous studies show that it is not. With such self-medication, it is difficult to control the dosage, which can lead to drug ineffectiveness or overdose. Ideally, crushing or crushing tablets should only be done on the special recommendation of a doctor.

5. Don't make taking pills a habit

There are, of course, over-the-counter pain relievers. However, you cannot take them for more than 2 days without consulting a doctor.

6. Ask your doctor about the side effects of the medication and read the package leaflets.

7. Tell your doctor if you are taking any other medications.

8. Take no more than one medication at a time.

Taking more than one type of medication at one time can lead to kidney failure, bleeding disorders, internal bleeding, heart attack, and even stroke.

9. Beware of addiction

Some of the prescription pain relievers work like drugs and can be addictive. To prevent the development of dependence, gradually reduce the dose until you completely stop taking analgesics.

10. Do not take pain relievers without consulting your doctor if you have:

a) high blood pressure;

b) stomach ulcer;

c) heart disease.

11. The dosage of painkillers for adults and children is different.

Never give pain relievers that you are taking yourself to a child. For children, pain relievers are prescribed according to the weight of the child. A consultation with a pediatrician is required!

And finally, don't forget that there are natural ways to get rid of aching pain:

1. Compress. For back, ankle, or knee pain, cold or hot compresses are helpful. It is enough to take a towel, moisten it in hot or cold water and apply to the damaged area.

2. Stretching. Sometimes the pain is related to muscle stiffness, so stretching can relieve it.

3. Foods that keep you warm. Capsicum, ginger, cloves, and fish oil are all anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxant foods in your diet. is not drug propaganda, manufacturing and drug use ... The purpose of this material is to convey to people who use drugs simple principles that will help them stay healthy and avoid all sorts of diseases, one way or another associated with drug use, and most importantly, immediately begin drug addiction treatment.

A condition in which a patient's state of health or health deteriorates sharply after a repeated or long course of drugs against the background of their cancellation is called drug dependence syndrome.

For the most part, the onset of the syndrome is associated with the abolition of psychotropic drugs, but sometimes drug dependence is observed after glucocorticosteroids and many other medications, as well as due to the intake of organic solvents or hallucinogenic substances that are not intended for treatment.

The syndrome is manifested by the patient's pathological need to take the drug that he has been taking for a long period of time, otherwise he has a feeling of discomfort, mental disorders and withdrawal symptoms (panic fear of drug withdrawal) develop.

To get rid of drug dependence can only be abrupt, in cases of mental dependence, or gradual refusal of the patient from using the drug or replacing it with a less addictive drug.

Types of drug addiction

Distinguish between physical and mental (psychological) drug dependence. In cases of physical dependence, the patient develops withdrawal symptoms, neurological, mental, or autonomic-somatic disorders after discontinuation of the drug or substance. Abstinence can be caused not only by the withdrawal of the drug, but also by the introduction into the body of the antagonists of the substance that led to physical dependence, and its clinical picture directly depends on the duration of use, the type and size of doses of the psychoactive drug.

The second type of drug addiction - mental, is observed in cases when, after the withdrawal of the drug, the patient has a feeling of emotional discomfort and psychological instability. Most often, the patient has an irresistible desire, which turns into an obsession, to take a particular drug.

Development of drug dependence

Many sources place drug dependence on a par with drug addiction or substance abuse, but this statement is not entirely correct. The fact is that drug addiction and substance abuse are the result of dependence on drugs, which may not occur if the patient has willpower and a desire to get rid of the imposed state. In addition, in many cases, drug dependence disappears after the drug is replaced with a less addictive drug - in this case, any manifestations of both physical and mental dependence practically disappear in the patient, which cannot be achieved with drug addiction or substance abuse.

The formation of psychological dependence in many cases is due to the ability of psychotropic substances to change the psychological state for the better. So, tranquilizers, sedatives and hypnotics, psychostimulants, narcotic analgesics and alcohol can cause a state of euphoria, relieve anxiety, tension and fear, improve mood, perception and thinking of a person.

These reactions, in combination with predisposing genetic, social, psychological, situational and biochemical factors, lead to drug dependence.

Substance abuse and drug addiction after drug addiction occur only in extreme cases, when the patient often begins to use psychoactive compounds without a doctor's prescription, because he wants to achieve euphoria, and not avoid withdrawal symptoms.

Many cases have been recorded when the state of imposed addiction was observed in patients with an anxious and suspicious disposition of character or suffering from neurosis. This is due to the fact that it is this category of patients who, when they find themselves in a situation where the cancellation of one or another drug leads to abstinence, consciously decide to continue taking drugs, without a doctor's prescription. As a result of such a decision, the patient develops drug dependence by the conditioned reflex mechanism.

Summarizing the above, it can be assumed that psychological dependence on taking medications is associated with the formation of a conditioned reflex stereotype in certain categories of patients, since only after taking medications they feel peace, euphoria and calmness, and feelings of anxiety or discomfort leave them.

Some psychiatrists suggest that in addition to conditioned reflex mechanisms, the development of physical drug dependence is facilitated by those adaptive reactions of the body, due to which the sensitivity in the internal organs decreases and the number of receptors interacting with psychotropic substances that enter from the outside changes.

Drug dependence: treatment

So, having recognized the developed drug dependence in the patient, the doctor determines its type and finds out whether the patient has a desire to get rid of this imposed state. The patient's sincere desire in the treatment of drug addiction is a key factor, thanks to which a complete recovery occurs rather quickly.

The necessary measures to get rid of the condition are a complete refusal to use the drug or its replacement with a less addictive drug, with a gradual nullification and reception of such, as well as hospitalization of the patient, which ensures strict adherence to all recommendations of the attending physician. It is psychologically very important for the patient to be present with relatives and friends, who, during the rehabilitation period, should express understanding and support.

In general, the treatment of drug dependence is a therapeutic complex that includes psychotherapy, prescription of drugs, complete cleansing of the body and physiotherapy exercises.

The prognosis of drug dependence directly depends on the drug that served the development of the condition, as well as on the state of the nervous system, social, genetic, situational and biochemical factors.