Tell if Someone Is Abusing Prescription Drugs

Prescription drugs, such as painkillers, may be used for good medical reasons, but sometimes people develop addictions to these drugs. Although different drugs have different physical properties, the symptoms of drug addiction are similar no matter what drug is being abused. Learn more about the symptoms of drug addiction in order to tell if someone you know or love is abusing prescription drugs.

Steps

Recognizing Physical Signs of Drug Abuse

1. Notice the person's appearance. A person who is high on opiates will have constricted pupils. She may appear tired or sleepy. Despite nodding out, she may attempt to continue conversations, or speak in a slurred voice.
   • The person may seem confused. She may experience memory lapses.
   • The addicted person may demonstrate poor balance, and clumsiness. She will have less control of her physical body.
   • Frequent nosebleeds can occur when drugs are snorted or sniffed. You may notice a runny nose or rashes around the nose and mouth.
   • The person's eyes may be red and glazed.
2. Check on sudden weight changes or sleep patterns. Someone who is abusing prescription drugs may have abrupt changes in her appetite. She may eat rarely and lose a great deal of weight.
   • If the person is abusing a stimulant drug, she may go for days without sleeping. When she does sleep, she may sleep for long periods of time.
   • Insomnia is a symptom of abuse of stimulants. It's also a side effect of withdrawal from many medications.
3. Notice unusual smells. The person's breath, skin, or clothing may emit a foul smell. The smell is a result of the chemical interaction between the person's body and the drug. If the person is trying to crush the pill and smoke it, it may be the odor of the smoke. The person may also sweat more than usual, which increases their body odor.
   • The person's sense of smell may be either greatly enhanced or diminished.
   • The person using drugs is unlikely to notice her own change in smell.
4. Observe signs of injuries. Drug use often results in physical clumsiness, awkward movement, or visual alternation. If you notice signs of unexplained injuries, this can be a sign of prescription drug abuse.
   • Common injuries include mild cuts and bruises. Injuries may be more severe.
   • The person may become defensive when asked about injuries, or she may not remember how they occurred.
   • The person may wear long-sleeved shirts even in warm weather to hide marks from injections.
5. Be aware of involuntary movement. You may notice the person's hand or arm shaking, or experiencing tremors. The person may have difficulty forming words. Her speech may be slurred.
   • The person may have difficulty holding a pen, signing her name, or holding a cup without sloshing liquid over the edges.
   • Many times these signs are symptoms of withdrawal from medication, a sign of drug abuse.
6. Notice changes in personal hygiene. A person abusing drugs may stop taking care of her personal hygiene needs, i.e. taking showers, changing into clean clothes, grooming hair. This is a common sign of prescription drug abuse. The person may be less able to concentrate on these activities of daily living, or they may not care.
   • If the person is using stimulant medication, they may spend more time than usual cleaning house, despite lack of personal hygiene.
   • The signs of drug abuse may mimic, or even stem from, depression that is associated with drug abuse.
7. Look for drug paraphernalia. Many times people who abuse prescription drugs will start injecting the medication intravenously. Look for pouches used to carry syringes and spoons.
   • You may notice piles of burnt matches, or extra lighters used to heat the drugs.
   • Foil, glassine envelopes or paper bundles may be found in the person's car, in between books on a shelf, or otherwise hidden in the person's home.

Observing Behavioral Signs of Drug Abuse

1. Think about any changes in person's social network. People who abuse drugs often avoid those who don't. You may notice that the person is avoiding former friends and coworkers, or developing new friendships with a different sort of person.
   • There may be complaints from the person's former friends, supervisors, coworkers, teachers, etc.
   • Someone on stimulants is likely to talk a great deal, in a self-centered way. They may not be pleasant to be around.
   • They may start to become paranoid, and develop theories about how other people are against them.
2. Consider if the person is missing time at work or school. Someone abusing drugs is likely to show diminished interest in work or school. She may lie about attending, call in sick, or just stop going.
   • This lack of interest may be very different from the way the person was before, or it may not be very different.
   • You may notice a drop in grades or work performance.
3. Notice increased level of secrecy. Someone who is abusing drugs may seem paranoid, or just reclusive. She may try to keep anyone, particularly family members, from entering her room or home.
   • She may take great pains to keep her activity secret from others, especially people who are close to her.
   • The person may lie about their daily activities.
   • You may notice the person engaging in suspicious activity that can't be explained.
4. Pay attention to increase in troubling situations. The person abusing drugs may find herself getting in trouble at school, home, work, friendships or relationships. This includes: accidents, fights, legal problems, arguments, and so on.
   • Getting in trouble may be uncharacteristic of this person prior to abusing drugs, or it may not be uncharacteristic. If this is new, consider the possibility of drug abuse as a factor.
   • Sometimes, getting into trouble is sufficient reason for the person to stop abusing the drug.
   • If the person continues drug abuse despite repeated situations of getting in trouble, they are likely addicted and will need treatment in order to get off the drug.
5. Keep track of the person's spending. Someone abusing prescription drugs often finds herself meeting financial challenges to pay for the drugs. An unusual or unexplained need for money may be a sign of drug abuse. Someone abusing drugs may steal, lie or cheat in order to get money, even if they're otherwise considered an honest person.
   • You may find yourself missing jewelry, computers or other items of high resale value. Someone who is abusing drugs may engage in theft to support her drug habit.
   • If the person seems to be spending a lot of money without anything to show for it, she may be spending the money on drugs.
6. Listen for frequent requests for early refills. You can't get prescription drugs whenever you want, and a person abusing these drugs will run out before they are due for a refill. The person will have a myriad of reasons why she needs an early refill each month: they were stolen, they fell down the sink or in the toilet, forgot them in a hotel room, threw them away accidentally, and so on. This is a telltale sign of prescription drug abuse.

Noticing Psychological Signs of Drug Abuse

1. Consider changes in personality or mood. Abrupt changes in a person's personality can be the result of prescription drugs. Someone abusing prescription drugs can become aloof or combative and argumentative. If this is a dramatic difference in the person's personality, consider the possibility that the person is abusing prescription drugs.
   • On stimulants, the person may become talkative, but their conversation may be hard to follow. They may frequently change the subject, unable to stay focused on a topic for any length of time.
   • You may notice a person seeming paranoid, overly anxious about what other people say or do.
2. Observe emotional responses. The person may seem defensive or argumentative, even if this is uncharacteristic. They may become less able to deal with stress, more quick-tempered or sullen.
   • Irritability is a common characteristic of someone with a prescription drug problem.
   • The person may appear less mature than before, refusing to accept blame for any situation or minimizing her part in it.
3. Be aware of changes in the person's attention. Making poor decisions, a result of not being able to think through everyday problems, is a common side-effect of drug abuse. The person may be unable to think about things unrelated to the drug.
   • You may notice the person being more obnoxious or silly than usual.
   • Poor concentration and problems with memory are signs of drug abuse.

Helping Someone Quit Drugs

1. Tell the person. If you think that someone you know is abusing prescription drugs, you should ask them. Let them know you're concerned, and offer to help them.
   • Don't get angry or blame the person for his drug use. Remember, addiction is a disease, not a conscious choice. If the person is suffering from addiction, he needs treatment.
   • It takes a lot of courage to admit when you have a problem. Acknowledge that this is difficult.
   • Don't preach to the person or talk to them when you're feeling hurt about the problems their drug use may be causing. Try to remember to be calm, concerned, and helpful.
2. Don't expect the person to stop without help. There are a number of different treatment options. It might take some time to find the right treatment for a drug problem, but if the person is willing to be persistent, they can return to a drug-free life.
   • Being an addict is the same as managing any chronic health condition. Expect the steps that the person is taking to continue throughout their lifetime.
   • Remind the person that treatment is private, and no one needs to know about it. Anything discussed with a medical provider, including treatment for prescription drug addiction, is bound by the HIPAA privacy act in the United States.
3. Help the person access behavioral treatment. In addition to the familiar 12-step groups, there are a variety of intensive behavioral treatments available. Treatment for dependence of prescription drugs can be delivered in a wide range of settings. Encourage the person to access the treatment that they feel most comfortable with.
   • Outpatient treatment includes individual and group counseling options. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and multidimensional family therapy are two approaches. There are also approaches that focus on incentives and rewards, such as motivational interviewing and motivational incentives.
   • Intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) may be suggested. These programs meet at least three days per week for two to four hours per day, and can be scheduled around other personal responsibilities.
   • Residential treatment may be recommended, especially for more severe addiction. Some residential treatment is more intensive, and involves living in a treatment facility while undergoing behavioral treatment during the day. Most stays are 28-60 days, sometimes longer.
   • Other residential treatment options include therapeutic communities, which extend over a 6-12 month stay.
   • Each person's recovery is unique. There is no one method of behavioral treatment that is right for everyone.
4. Share information about pharmacological treatment options. Pharmacological treatment will vary depending on the type of drugs the person has been abusing. To access these treatment options will require a visit to a medical provider or doctor. These options are best paired with behavioral treatment.
   • For opioid addiction, the person may be prescribed naltrexone, methadone, or buprenorphine. These drugs may help diminish the body's craving for opioids.
   • For addiction to other prescription medications, such as stimulants (such as Adderall or Concerta) or depressants (such as barbiturates or benzodiazepine), there is currently no FDA-approved pharmacological treatment. Withdrawal from these substances can be medically challenging, and professional medical support is encouraged to minimize physical damage.

Warnings

• Abuse of drugs may cause seizures in people without a history of epilepsy.
• Rambling, paranoid thinking can be a sign of drug abuse, or it might be a sign of early mental illness.

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