Attending Drug Rehab Centers in Missouri to Stop Painkiller Addiction

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Painkillers are one of the more accessible prescription medicines anywhere. Certain classes allow for more pronounced effects if ground into powder and taken nasally, as is the case with cocaine. As Samantha Liss of the St. Louis Post Dispatch reports, that medicine category already places Missouri in a slightly unfavorable light according to a new study on opioid use– which warrants action through drug rehabilitation programs.

Missourians outpace national average in use of opioid painkillers

The news comes as calls to enact a prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) to help curb the abuse of opioids have prompted state legislators to consider making it happen in the next session. In fact, Missouri is the only one state in the entire country that doesn’t have a PDMP. Even so, it’s on you to help a painkiller-addicted loved one by checking them in at professional drug rehab centers in Missouri like the Midwest Institute of Addiction (MIA).

The aforementioned study by a top drugstore benefit firm analyzed at least 36 million painkiller prescriptions issued to 6.8 million insured Americans from 2009 to 2013. Each one was found to have submitted prescriptions at least once. Missouri’s untoward prominence was due to the fact that 16.3 percent of insured residents took a painkiller against the 16.1% national average. Another 5.3 percent of Missourians continued using after 30 days, surpassing the national average of 3.9%.

The results of the data can guide a preferred rehab center’s personnel in crafting a custom treatment program for patients, especially concerning long-term abuse. According to the data, half of the patients went on the drugs for at least three years after a starting point of consuming a pill for over 30 days. Some of the long-term users were found to have subsisted on painkillers whose effects kick in shortly after ingestion; worse, there are users who mixed opioids with other medicines in the hope of amplifying the effects.

Sometimes, identifying the sources of the drugs may aid in advising a patient to avoid them altogether. A 22-year-old woman interviewed for Liss’ article said a friend gave her painkillers when she was 17, but complications in securing a consistent supply resulted in her taking heroin instead. Many painkillers are currently listed as Schedule II substances per a federal guideline enacted in October, 2014.

If you are feeling the pain of a loved one deep into painkillers, there’s still time to step in and straighten them up. A stay at an established Missouri rehab center may be the best move to make for you and your family.

(Source: Missourians outpace national average in use of opioid painkillers, St Louis Post-Dispatch, 1 January 2015)