Prescription drug addiction is becoming a serious health issue. Many people who begin using these drugs for legitimate reasons are finding themselves unable to stop taking them even when they are no longer needed, while others are simply using them as their drug of choice. Persons may obtain these drugs through doctor shopping, purchase them from a street dealer, steal them or attempt to forget their own prescriptions.

What is A Prescription Addiction?: Prescription addiction involves the inability of a user to quit using legally prescribed drugs. Many prescription  drugs are just as addicting as street or illegal drugs and can cause similar problems physically. It is important to not downplay ones addiction to these types of drugs as they can cause just as much damage to a person's body and life as their illegal counterparts.

Signs of Prescription Addiction: Signs of an addiction to prescription drugs include the inability to stop using the drugs, withdrawal symptoms when a person attempts to quit, a preoccupation with taking the drug, taking increased dosages of the drugs and using even after they are no longer physically necessary. These are all signs that a person has developed an addiction to prescription drugs. When a person begins to see such signs, it is important to get help as soon as possible. Prescription drug abuse can cause a host of problems that are best dealt with early.

Causes of Prescription Addiction: Individuals may develop a prescription drug addiction innocently enough. They may have been prescribed a medication that was highly addictive and became addicted to it. Other individuals simply seek out prescription drugs for recreational use and ended up becoming addicted.

Effects of Prescription Addiction: A prescription drug addiction can have very serious and even deadly consequences. Persons with this type of addiction will often have a difficult time functioning especially when they are high. When they are not, they may be thinking about the drugs and making plans to obtain it. They might have subsequent family and work related problems. Prescription addiction can also lead to death in cases of overdose or bad interactions with other drugs.