Demerol Addiction

Demerol was formulated to help to patients dealing with pain. But as so often is the case, the blight of Demoral addiction can cause a great deal more harm than anyone could have envisioned. For many people a few hours of pain relief has become a lifetime of addiction.

What is Demerol addiction?

Demerol is a highly effective analgesic that is used by hospitals and medical facilities to treat severe pain, typically post-operatively when it is given intravenously in its liquid form. As the patient comes out of general anesthetic and has pain Demoral might be given either in tablet form or as further injections.

Demerol is a form of the generic drug Pethidine. It reduces the level of pain felt by its direct action on the pain receptors in the brain. Demerol addicts get an instant high at the same time as pain relief, and can feel quite euphoric. The effects of the drug do not last long though, so users take more Demerol to maintain their sedated state, and this is why Demerol can be so addictive.

Effects of Demerol addiction

Demerol is known to have similar effects to morphine. Here are some of the most common effects of Demerol addiction.

• Hallucinations
• Fatigue
• Feelings of weakness
• Artificial highs
• Feeling lightheaded
• Tremors
• Kidney disease
• Liver damage
• Agitation
• Drug cravings

Demerol has all of these physical effects on the body and can lead to severe organ damage as well. Cardiac arrest and respiratory damage have been known to occur in addicts with a history of prolonged use. Since the drug requires repeated use to be effective, it can lead to serious long term health problems. In extreme cases Demoral addiction can kill.

Treating Demerol addiction

Effective treatment for Demerol addiction requires help with physical addiction, mental dependency and emotional reliance. Demerol addiction can be treated by licensed professionals that are trained to deal with addicts in recovery programs and in patient treatment facilities. These facilities work much better than outpatient programs because they take the addict out of their old environment during the most acute phases of recovery and treatment. Exposure to the pressures, problems and temptations of an addict’s everyday life in a familiar environment during the recovery process can lead to relapses.

Avoid going to treatment centers that only treat one aspect of the entire person. Many facilities only deal with the physical part of addiction and fail to properly address the emotional and mental aspects that led to the addiction. Find a holistic treatment center that offers counseling options as well as treatment for the physical addiction. The best way to ensure successful treatment is to look at all of the issues that lead to the addiction.

Recovering From Demerol addiction

Recovering Demerol addicts should recognize that the addiction was a form of self harm and look at the reasons for the drug use. It is possible to escape the hold of this drug by having the user admit to having a problem and being open to any solutions to that problem. It is important to evaluate the possible reasons for the addiction before trying to treat it properly.

A large number of Demerol addicts are able to return to their normal lives, addiction free, after successful treatment, and as Demerol addiction generally arises when it is prescribed for an acute episode it is not hard to ensure that the situation is not repeated. Full information about a previous Demerol addiction should always be given to medical practitioners before any treatment is considered. It takes very little to catapult the addict back into a position of dependence. It takes just as little to ensure that those giving treatment can prescribe the right analgesics and monitor the patient to avoid any problems arising.

On return to everyday life it is a good idea to set up or contact an existing supportive community that are available when the recovering addict needs a little more support. The loving help of friends and family, mixed with trained counselors and therapists can help to eliminate the possible return of negative behaviors and influences, and can be a vital basis for continuing a long and fruitful recovery.