Adult Acne: Blasting Zits Into Oblivion

My name is Jamie Turner and when I turned 22, I started to form a horrible case of acne. I used every cleanser and lotion I could find and I even asked my physician for a topical steroid cream to clear up the zits on my face. After six months of treatment, my physician completed a blood test that concluded that a hormone imbalance was causing my acne. I started on therapy to control the amount of estrogen my body produced. The therapy along with a good diet and exercise regimen helped to clear up my acne. I am sharing my story, because acne is not just a condition that affects teenagers. It can affect adults at any age, and it can cause a great deal of embarrassment. Don't let your acne go untreated. Read my blog instead and learn about both natural and medical treatments that can help you.

How Prescription Drug Abuse Leads To Heroin Addiction

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Prescription painkillers have long been prescribed for chronic pain and relief from temporary pain after injuries or surgical procedures. However, a new prescription painkiller, Oxycodone, is helping a create an epidemic of heroin addiction in a population in which it is traditionally rare.

How is Oxycodone leading to heroin addiction?

Oxycodone is a powerful narcotic that is an extremely effective painkiller, and also a highly addictive opiate drug. Many who have endured chronic pain find relief in Oxycodone, and it was initially considered a wonder drug. However, it is also a highly profitable drug. Millions of prescriptions are written every year. Oxycodone is prescribed for temporary pain when less addictive painkillers may have performed just as well.

Since Oxycodone can easily become addictive in a short period of use, individuals who no longer have a legitimate need for a strong painkiller cannot renew their prescriptions. This leads to "doctor shopping" which involves going to different doctors in the hope of getting a prescription for Oxycodone.

Fraudulent pain treatment centers have appeared in states with lax regulations, whose sole purpose is to write prescriptions for Oxycodone and other opiate drugs. These pain centers can make millions of dollars before they are discovered and shut down.

The physical effects of chemical dependency, called withdrawal, begin when an addict cannot procure a drug. Symptoms can range from those similar to a bad case of the flu, to seizures and possible death. Withdrawal from opiates is especially brutal.

Heroin is an opiate similar in composition to Oxycodone, and is much more readily available illegally.It is also less expensive than buying Oxycodone without a prescription. First time heroin use was once more intimidating, because most heroin was greatly diluted, and had to be injected to feel its effects. Heroin is now sold in a more pure form, which allows users to snort it for the same initial result.

Unfortunately, our bodies are adaptable even to chemical dependency, and require an ever increasing amount of heroin to stave off withdrawal symptoms. When heroin is injected into the bloodstream, the effect is intensified. When an addict reaches a point where they cannot buy enough heroin to sustain their addiction by snorting, they will begin to inject it,  Even then, the need for more heroin increases as the body adapts.to current levels.

Drug addiction treatment for heroin

Eventually, an addict may hit rock bottom, and either decide for themselves to seek help for their addiction, or be forced into treatment because of criminal acts they performed to secure money for drugs.

Heroin can be treated with medications that either mimic its effects or blocks them when heroin is used. The main focus is to alleviate the symptoms or withdrawal until the physical craving is eliminated sometimes with the use of certain medications:

  • Methadone. A synthetic opiate, methadone is taken orally and halts withdrawal symptoms while also blocking the euphoric effects of opiate use. Methadone is usually reserved for long term addicts who would quickly regress back to heroin use and who must often take it for the rest of the lives.
  • Buprenorphene. Like methadone, this drug inhibits both withdrawal effects and euphoric effects of heroin use. This drug is now available to be prescribed by doctors instead of being restricted to  drug addiction treatment centers. This ruling was made partially to answer the demand created by the excessive prescribing of Oxycodone, and the subsequent rise in heroin addiction in an unlikely segment of society.

For more information, try contacting a company like Olalla Recovery Centers with your questions.

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6 January 2015