Prescription drug use among adult women and adolescent girls is common in the United States. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), half of all girls and women used at least one prescription drug in the past 30 days.
Unfortunately, for many girls and women, prescription drug use can turn into prescription drug abuse. This behavior, in turn, can lead to prescription drug addiction.
Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center offers individualized prescription drug addiction treatment for girls and women. Our experienced professionals can help you manage the symptoms of prescription drug addiction and regain control of your behavior.
Common Signs & Symptoms of Prescription Drug Addiction
The following behaviors could be warning signs that a woman or girl is struggling with prescription drug addiction:
- Trying to borrow or steal drugs that were prescribed to someone else
- Attempting to use a forged or stolen prescription
- Doctor shopping, or visiting several doctors to try to get multiple prescriptions
- Frequently claiming that they have lost their prescription medications so that they can get early refills
- Lying or otherwise being deceptive about where they’ve been or what they’ve been doing
- Using prescription drugs in greater amounts or more frequently than directed
Depending on which drug a girl or woman has been using, here are some possible symptoms of prescription drug use:
- Constipation
- Rapid heart rate
- Confusion
- Mood swings
- Shallow breathing
- Loss of appetite
- Altered sleep patterns
- Dramatic changes in energy level
Prescription Drug Use Statistics
The following statistics about prescription drug use in the United States were reported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA):
- A 2017 study revealed that about 18 million people age 12 or older had misused a prescription medication at least once in the previous 12 months.
- Every day, more than 5,000 people engage in prescription drug abuse for the first time.
- More than 14% of young adults ages 18-25 misused a prescription drug in the past year.
- Almost 5% of adolescents reported nonmedical prescription drug use in the past year.
Effects of Prescription Drug Abuse
Prescription drug use is safe when you follow the directions of the physician who wrote your prescription. But when your prescription drug use turns into prescription drug abuse or prescription drug addiction, you may be at risk for considerable harm.
The negative effects of prescription drug addiction can include:
- Damage to your heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, and brain
- Legal problems, including being arrested and going to jail
- Physical injuries due to problems with coordination or perception
- Difficulty finding and keeping a job
- Financial problems
- Withdrawing from family and friends
- Social isolation
- Onset or worsening of mental health disorders
- Developing an overwhelming sense of despair or hopelessness
What Happens During Prescription Drug Withdrawal?
Prescription drug use can cause your body to adapt to the presence of the medication you’ve been taking. When you try to end your prescription drug use, you can develop several painful prescription drug withdrawal symptoms.
Prescription drug withdrawal symptoms can vary depending on which prescription drug you’ve been using. The following are common symptoms of prescription drug withdrawal:
- Powerful cravings for prescription drugs
- Insomnia
- Anxiety
- Being confused or disoriented
- Panic attacks
- Racing heart rate
- Runny nose and watery eyes
- Nausea
- Vomiting and diarrhea
- Muscle stiffness or muscle pain
- Severe cramping
The intensity of prescription drug withdrawal symptoms can force you to continue your prescription drug use. But when you receive care at a treatment center that offers detoxification, you can get through the prescription drug withdrawal process safely and with minimal discomfort.
Girls and women who receive care at our prescription drug addiction treatment center can take part in nonmedical, ambulatory detoxification, or detox. While you’re in prescription drug detox, you will be under the care of doctors, nurses, and other experts.
Levels of Treatment for Prescription Drug Addiction
Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center provides two levels of treatment for prescription drug use.
We offer residential prescription drug use treatment for adolescent girls ages 12-17 and adult women age 18 and older. We also offer a partial hospitalization program, or PHP, for adult women who have been struggling with prescription drug use.
- Residential treatment for prescription drug use features round-the-clock care provided by a team of experienced professionals. This is our most intensive level of care for girls and women who have been struggling with prescription drug use.
- At the PHP level, prescription drug use treatment is provided during the day. When our PHP is not in session, you can return home, or you can live in one of our on-campus residences.
A member of our team will be happy to explain the features and benefits of both levels of prescription drug addiction treatment.
Types of Therapy to Treat Prescription Drug Addiction
Prescription drug use impacts each girl or woman in a unique manner, and each person also responds to prescription drug addiction treatment differently.
At our prescription drug addiction treatment center, you’ll complete a detailed evaluation so that we can develop an individualized treatment plan that meets your specific needs.
Your individualized prescription drug addiction treatment plan at Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center may include:
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- 12-Step education and support
- Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
- Individual, group, and family sessions
- Experiential therapies
What Happens If I Relapse?
The goal of treatment is to help you achieve long-term recovery free from illicit prescription drug use. Part of this process is helping you identify situations or experiences that may push you back into prescription drug use. These factors are commonly referred to as triggers.
Unfortunately, you can’t always avoid triggers. And sometimes, triggers can cause you to return to prescription drug use. This is known as relapse.
If you have a prescription drug use relapse, this doesn’t mean that your treatment was a failure. The skills you develop during prescription drug addiction treatment can help you stop a temporary relapse from becoming a long-term problem.
When you complete treatment for prescription drug abuse at Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center, you’ll receive a detailed discharge plan. This plan will help you maintain progress in your recovery from prescription drug addiction. It will also identify resources that can help you if you feel like you may relapse or if you have had a slip–up and returned to prescription drug use.
Recovery from prescription drug addiction is a long-term process. When you choose Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center, you can expect to receive the support you need every step of the way.
This content was reviewed and approved by the clinical staff at Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center.
