Teen Painkiller Addiction

Table of Contents
How Painkillers Work
Defining Addiction
Treatment is Important
Treatment Works

More painkillers are prescribed now than ever before. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the quantity of painkillers provided to pharmacies, doctors’ offices and hospitals in 2010 was four times higher than it was in 1999. While many people may be taking these medications for legitimate reasons, many others are abusing these painkillers. The CDC also reports that 12 million Americans older than 12 reported using painkillers for nonmedical purposes in 2010. Many of these Americans were adolescents.

A study published in the Journal of Addictions Nursing makes the problem of teen painkiller addiction quite clear. Of the 193 students polled in the study, over 30 percent reported using prescription medications for nonmedical uses. Only 13.6 percent reported marijuana use. While the teens might not consider taking an illegal street drug like marijuana, they may not consider prescription painkiller use to be harmful. They may start taking the drugs out of a sense of exploration and adventure, and before they’re aware of the problem, they could be pulled into a cycle of addiction.

How Painkillers Work

The chemistry behind common painkillers is complex and slightly difficult for the average person to understand. In essence, a painkiller enters the bloodstream and becomes connected with receptors that are dotted along the spinal cord and in the organs. When these receptors pick up a painkiller, they release a feel-good chemical called dopamine, and they reduce the body’s ability to send and receive painkillers. People who abuse prescription medications may be on the hunt for dopamine boosts, rather than relief from pain.

There are many prescription painkillers on the market but teens often gravitate toward these medications:

  • Vicodin, Lortab and other medications containing hydrocodone
  • OxyContin, Percolone and other oxycodone medications
  • Codeine
  • Fentanyl
  • Morphine

Some teens become addicted to painkillers because they’ve been given a prescription for the medication to deal with pain. As soon as the teen takes the medication, the painkiller receptors become slightly numb and less attuned to painkillers in the bloodstream. The person may find he or she needs to take larger and larger doses in order to control pain. This is known as painkiller dependence.

Teens who have been taking painkillers for many months to help control pain may feel some of the symptoms addicts feel during withdrawal stages. They may have flushed faces, seem sweaty, and have vomiting or diarrhea. Often, these symptoms disappear in a few days and they’re rarely severe if the teen has been taking the drug properly. Parents who are concerned about teens withdrawing from medications they’ve been taking appropriately should talk to their doctors for extra reassurance.

Teens in a significant amount of pain should be allowed to take the proper medications to ease their symptoms. Addiction fears shouldn’t stand in the way of humane medical care. Parents of teens who are taking prescription painkillers should remain alert and aware of the problem of prescription drug addiction, however, so they can step in if the teen begins to exhibit signs of a problem.

Painkiller Addiction Treatment

Defining Addiction

When a person takes painkillers when no pain exists, this is known as addiction. Some teens continue to take painkillers long after their original injuries have healed, while others take painkillers for recreation when they’ve had no pain to begin with.

Teens who are addicted to painkillers might:

  • Claim they lost their prescriptions and ask for refills
  • Head to various doctors for multiple prescriptions
  • Buy painkillers from friends or the Internet
  • Spend most of the day thinking about how to get more painkillers

Since painkillers are so plentiful, some addicted teens may be able to get the pills from friends without spending any money or exerting any effort. They may attend parties where friends give them painkillers as party favors, or they may have classmates who hand out medications during the school day.

Since doctors write prescriptions for painkillers, many teens simply don’t think their drug use is a problem. Their parents may also not think that the drug use is problematic, and in fact, some parents express relief that their teens aren’t taking heroin or street drugs. These thoughts may keep teens from getting the help they need to beat addiction. The cost of treatment may also be a factor. According to a news report in Epoch Times, only 40 percent of people who reported painkiller abuse in 2009 got treatment, and most reported that they didn’t get treatment due to expense.

Painkiller Rehab NeedWhy Treatment Is Important

Left untreated, a teen’s addiction to painkillers can have dire consequences. As the teen needs higher and higher doses of the medication in order to feel a rush, they may start taking tens of pills at a time. Some teens begin to experiment with combinations of painkillers, hoping to augment the effects and feel a bigger effect. The teen’s body, in return, is going through major changes due to the constant presence of painkillers in the bloodstream. Some teens may become unable to produce dopamine on their own, and they may feel crushing depression only a few hours after taking a hit. Teens may keep high doses of painkillers in their systems at all times to keep this depression from striking.

High doses of painkillers can slow breathing and cause vomiting. This could mean the teen could vomit and choke, or the teen could simply stop breathing altogether. These overdoses are becoming sadly prevalent in the United States. In 2008, about 15,000 people died of prescription overdoses, according to the CDC. It’s simply much too easy to overdose on painkillers, especially if the addict combines the drugs with alcohol or other medications.

In addition, some teens begin their addiction journey with prescription medications and over time, they begin to transition to heroin use. Heroin provides much the same euphoric feeling as prescription painkillers, but users can inject incredibly large doses of the drug at a low cost. Heroin use is particularly dangerous for teens because the drug they buy on the street is rarely pure. Heroin is often mixed with substances like:

  • Baby laxatives
  • Sugar
  • Powder
  • Other drugs, including sedatives

Teens who buy heroin and inject it may have no idea how strong the drug is until they’re in the throes of an overdose. The teens may also face arrests and social stigma if they’re caught by police officers with heroin or heroin-related paraphernalia. It’s best to provide the teen with help for painkiller addiction long before they become hooked on heroin.

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Treatment Works

At Newport Academy, we’ve treated many teens who have struggled with painkiller addiction, and we know that treatment works. Parents just need to take that first step and sign their kids up for treatment. Help is available but parents need to reach out on behalf of their addicted teens.

In most cases, painkiller addiction therapies for teens begin with detoxification. Here, the teen is given medications that reduce the ability of the body’s receptors to pick up painkillers in the blood. The teen begins to experience withdrawal symptoms, and medical professionals remain on hand to provide other medications to ease these symptoms. At the end of this detoxification process, the teen is ready to move forward with the rest of therapy. It’s important to stress that detoxification alone isn’t enough. Teens need to learn new coping strategies that can help them deal with cravings and stresses in the real world.

In the second phase of treatment, teens begin to meet with counselors and they learn more about why they take drugs. They may also learn what addiction can do to their bodies over the long term, and this might motivate them to make needed changes. Some teens participate in these counseling sessions with their families so everyone can learn about addiction at the same time. Some teens participate in this phase of treatment in a facility. Others participate during the day while they live at home.

In the final phase of treatment, teens begin to transition back into their communities and learn to live a life of sobriety. In most cases, teens continue to participate in counseling sessions and they talk through their concerns with their therapists. Teens might also be encouraged to participate in 12-step programs in their communities. Narcotics Anonymous programs allow the teen to meet other addicts in recovery and learn about the methods needed to stay well for a lifetime.

Recovery for addicts is often fragile, and teens often need a significant amount of support in order to avoid a relapse. According to a study published in the Journal of Substance Abuse, teens who have poor coping skills and low self-esteem might be at significant risk of relapse, and parents should do their best to assist these teens and keep the lines of communication wide open. Teens who relapse aren’t weak; the drugs are simply too strong. Teens who feel they can talk to their parents about their feelings might be more likely to ask for help when a relapse looms, allowing parents to step in before the teen makes a misstep.