alprazolam INFORMATION
IMPORTANT NOTE:
After prolonged opiate use, the nerve cells in the brain, which would otherwise produce endogenous opiates (natural painkillers, or endorphins), cease to function normally. The body stops producing endorphins because it is receiving opiates instead. The degeneration of these nerve cells causes a physical dependency to an external supply of opiates. Abrupt or sudden abstinence from opiates induces yet another traumatic disorder
These people are not "drug addicts" in the stereotypical sense, but people with real medical conditions who find themselves in the same situation as drug addicts. In fact, so addictive are these opiate-based pain medications that despite fully understanding the medications' addictive nature, ten percent of physicians are themselves dependent on the very drugs they prescribe, according to the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors (CORD)...
IThe "re-education" of patients and of society as a whole is critical since an effective treatment is now available. Recognizing signs of opiate addiction and/or dependency and understanding the consequences will hopefully motivate patients to seek early treatment before the downward spiraling takes away their jobs, their families, their self esteem and ultimately, their lives.
Opiate dependency was once viewed as a condition with no solution. Patients with opiate physical dependency were considered to have inherited an addictive personality or psychological disorder or to have suffered with a dysfunctional family life. The medical community lacked the desire to find a treatment for what they believed was a hopeless condition and refused to deal with it. Ignoring the problem has had irrefutable repercussions...
