I’ve Been Upping My Opioid Dosage: Do I Need Help?

Get Help Now 800-934-1582 Sponsored

If you have been upping your prescription opioid dosage on your own and without consulting your doctor, you definitely need help. Technically, increasing the amount of your drug without medical supervision is abusing the medication. Rehabilitation and treatment centers can cater to your needs and help you end your dependence on opioids.

Call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) now to find the opioid treatment center that meets your needs. 

Upping Your Dosage: Why Is It Dangerous?

According to the National Library of Medicine, “These medicines can be misused and habit-forming. Always take narcotics as prescribed.” Your doctor will have prescribed opioid pain medication to be taken at specific times, depending on the type of pain you’re experiencing or the goal of treatment. You may have been prescribed the drug on a regular schedule or only when you feel pain.

You must never change that schedule until you have spoken with your doctor. Increasing the dose on your own is extremely dangerous and can lead to several serious side effects. Changing your doses by taking more than is prescribed has negative effects, including:

• Taking prescription opioids for pain can result in tolerance and dependence, even when you take the drug as prescribed. This may tempt you to raise the dosage to get the same pain relief, but it only creates a bigger problem with tolerance and dependence. Using more opioids can also lead to engaging in dangerous behavior.
• Addiction occurs when you are taking your medication at higher doses than prescribed. These drugs are only available by prescription for a reason, and large doses of them can cause drug-seeking behavior and euphoria. Triggering the brain’s reward system with opioids eventually leads to your brain craving the drug.
• If you continue to consistently raise your opioid dosage, there is a strong chance that you could overdose. The amount your physician prescribes is based on several factors, including your body weight, underlying medical conditions and history. Taking even a single larger dose can cause severe respiratory depression and death.
  

  Upping your opioid dosage can lead to addiction.

It is clear that upping your dosage without discussing it with your doctor is exceedingly dangerous. If you have been increasing your dose, it’s important that you seek help as soon as possible.

Where Can I Find Help for Opioid Abuse?

Professional rehab and treatment centers can help end your abuse of narcotics and treat the symptoms of this harmful behavior. It is important to seek help as soon as possible to avoid other serious side effects from opioid addiction.

In a rehab center, you learn to avoid opioid misuse, how to cope with triggers, cravings, stress, and pain and develop an aftercare plan that addresses your needs after discharge from a structured rehab program. These are all issues that can help lead to abuse. We can answer any questions you may have about narcotics, substance abuse and addiction, treatment, and recovery.

Call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) now to find a rehab program that addresses your needs, provides you with safe and effective care, and allows you to recover from substance abuse as quickly as possible.

Dependence vs. Addiction: Why Prescription Opioid Use Is Not the Same as Illicit Abuse

There is a significant difference between opioid drug dependence and addiction, and by understanding this you can learn how to avoid both and know when to seek treatment help.

Narcotics.com is user supported. We receive a commission fee from purchases made through BetterHelp links. Learn More