Prescription pills are easy to get these days. Doctors regularly prescribe them to young mothers for sleep, anxiety, and pain. ADHD medications are prescribed frequently to children, and parents are sometimes taking their children’s medications. The pressures of raising a family can be a lot to bear for some moms. Competitive school and sports atmospheres are in part to blame, along with the need for women to run their households perfectly, volunteer the most, and throw the best parties-whether it is for their child’s birthday party, or for a corporate event.
The prescriptions may be prescribed for legitimate reasons initially. Doctors often prescribe powerful painkillers like oxycontin after giving birth, or vicoden for chronic back pain. Kids with ADHD are prescribed Adderall or Ritalin to help them maintain focus, and moms are tempted to take their kids medications themselves as it can help with weight loss and can give people an increased focus that makes them feel like they can accomplish anything.
The problem is not the prescription drugs, the problem is the addiction. These powerful drugs, especially pain killers and sleep aids, can be quite addictive. For some people it is not a problem, and they can take the medication for short term periods of time and are easily able to stop taking them when the problems resolve. For others, it is a struggle to stop, as they enjoy the way the drugs make them feel, as if they can “conquer the world’.
Doctors are aware of the problems and have strict guidelines for responsible painkiller prescribing. They should carefully screen patients for mental health problems, and carefully monitor them for substance abuse. Even with careful monitoring, true addicts can find ways to get prescription drugs. Some mothers who are abusing their children’s ADHD medications have been known to pretend to have “spilled” the medication month after month in order to get enough for themselves and their children. In order to get more prescription painkillers, patients will often visit multiple doctors to get multiple prescriptions for the same medications-therefore ensuring they do not run out of the painkillers.
It is more common then you may think-the carpool mom, the PTA volunteers, the stay at home moms, the working moms, they could all fall prey to prescription drug abuse. The important thing is to recognize the signs and get them help when you think there is a problem. Erratic behavior, missing important school or sporting events, changes in behavior, all can signal that there is a prescription drug abuse problem. The best thing you can do for your wife, or your friend, is to be aware, and be willing to help when you realize there is a problem.
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