"Cheryl" - Addicted to Prescription Pills. CREDIT: OPRAH.COM
Prescription drug addiction, drug-seeking and diversion, family dysfunction, and codependent behavior were some of the topics discussed today on Oprah with the help of the good Dr. Mehmet Oz.
They presented the case of "Cheryl," a prescription drug addict (addicted to Vicodin and Norco) and her son, Steve. Cheryl discussed how her addiction to prescription drugs had ruined her life. Her son, Steve, admitted to becoming addicted to opiates after witnessing the addictive behavior of his mother and grandmother, who would take narcotics when they were stressed.
After being in an accident, Cheryl was prescribed narcotic pain medication. Steve got addicted to his mother's medicine. To ward off her son's withdrawal, Cheryl shares her medication with him. Cheryl and Steve say they take up to 20 painkillers a day, but they want to quit. Cheryl says that she feels deep shame... Watch video of Cheryl, and her son, Steve discuss their addiction ro prescription drugs - Watch video of Cheryl's daughter, Veronica as she discusses the struggle of having a mother and brother addicted to prescription drugs. She shares how she has bravely learned to take care of herself and says that she enjoys accomplishing things in school and is on the honor roll.
"There are three kinds of prescription drugs that are often misused and abused: opioids, depressants and stimulants. Dr. Oz says Oxycontin, Vicodin and Percocet are narcotics that fall under the opioid category, while Valium and Xanax are depressants that depress the central nervous system. Drugs like Adderall and Ritalin are considered stimulants."
"These are effective when dealing with acute problems, but when we mix emotional and physical pain, and we use these pills to numb ourselves to what's really happening in our life … that's a problem," Dr. Oz says. "When we take medications, and we take too many of them, we actually numb ourselves. We become zombies." - Dr. Oz.
Is prescription drug addiction more acceptable than street drug addiction (of course not), but some still feel a sense of superiority over the fact that they are not paying a street dealer to get their drug of choice.
Dr. Oz adds, "If you're going to the drugstore to pick them up or accessing them legally through the Web, then for a lot of folks, that passes the litmus test. So you can trick your moral barometer, but what you don't trick is your physical skills to cope with the addictions," he says. "That's where the bottom falls out."
At the end of the show, both mother and son are offered treatment, which they accept.
For more information:
Prescription Pill Intervention.
Living with Prescription Pill Addicts.
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