Prescription Drug Addiction
Women and prescription drug addiction
Almost half a million people in the Netherlands take sleeping pills or tranquillizers (benzodiazepines) on a daily basis. Most of them are women. One in six to seven women take sleeping pills or tranquillizers. Women take them twice as often and for longer periods than men. The average period of use ranges from 12 to 20 years. The reason for this is that GPs prescribe sleeping pills and tranquillizers to women more easily, also because women tend to talk to their GP about psychosocial problems sooner and more often.
Psychological and physical dependency
Pills help you to keep going despite certain problems. It is explicitly recommended, however, that you only take them for a period of two weeks, with an absolute maximum of 6 weeks. Benzodiazepines (Diazepam, Seroxat) and barbiturates, used for tranquillizers and sleeping pills, are highly addictive. The body needs increasing quantities to reach the same effect. With benzodiazepines this happens very quickly. Some people become dependent on benzodiazepines to fill a hole in their lives, while others need to find peace in their busy lives. Users can become psychologically or physically dependent. The years go by in a comforting, numbing haze. Without troubling thoughts, but without colour too.
Chronic use leads to prescription drug addiction
Every year nearly 200 people die in accidents caused by tranquillizer use, while nearly 20,000 suffer injuries. Pills only aggravate the underlying condition in cases of chronic use and can cause anxiety, stress and insomnia. Quitting after a long period of use may lead to serious withdrawal symptoms, which might encourage the user to take pills again.
Medical and therapeutic treatment
Benzodiazepines are prescribed to relieve certain symptoms; the causes of stress, restlessness, emptiness or sleeping problems, however, are left untreated. When you muster up the courage to quit and leave your sedated self behind, this is probably rough. Feelings that you suppressed for years will resurface, in combination with withdrawal symptoms.
SolutionS can help clients deal with this process with good medical and therapeutic care. Our partner clinics are specialized in prescription drug addiction. They will help the client quit prescription drugs gradually and they will teach them how to do deal with emotions instead of trying to push them away with pills.
The medical and therapeutic treatment will be continued in the follow-up programme, which will help you to put the spark back into your life.