San Antonio Percocet Addiction Treatment
San Antonio Percocet addiction treatment is widely available for drug abusers in the area. The oxycodone-acetaminophen formulation sold under the trade name Percocet can be a lifesaver to people who suffer from painful nerve damage, injury or surgery. It spares them endless pain. Most people who are prescribed Percocet easily come off the drug once they get better. To some people, though, Percocet has a serious unintended effect -- they are drawn into addiction by the narcotic effects of oxycodone.
For the average person who is likely to suffer from a couple of phases of pain through life, the risk of Percocet addiction today is far higher than it has ever been. Doctors write out prescriptions easily (tens of millions each year), and tend to extend them on demand. Many of these prescriptions end up in the hands of those who are carry genetic vulnerabilities to opiates.
Responsible for tens of thousands of emergency admissions at hospitals each year, and dozens of deaths, Percocet is a highly dangerous drug.
What Makes Percocet Addictive?
Oxycodone, an opioid, raises the level of exposure that the brain's limbic system, or reward center, has to the dopamine neurotransmitter. The limbic system responds to these effects by recording feelings of pleasure, as well as creating deep habit.
Effect of Percocet Addiction
Percocet addiction can produce some terrible effects on the health, including lung disease, corrosion of the nasal passage and damage to the kidneys and liver. Addicts quitting in the interests of their health, though, can find that they need to battle far more than just the cravings.
Opioids such as oxycodone cause massive chemical disruption the brain when they act on the brain's limbic center. The brain does have inbuilt mechanisms to protect against such occurrences - it lowers its sensitivity to the addictive substances coming in so as to discourage use. Most users, though, react to the loss of pleasure by raising their Percocet dosage. When the brain's mechanisms for self-protection are overwhelmed, the brain merely ceases to assert neurotransmitter control.
Treating Percocet Addiction
San Antonio addiction specialists help patients with a variety of medications to help suppress all discomfort from withdrawal symptoms. The detox process usually lasts several weeks.
Patients then receive a customized plan of therapeutic interventions aimed at directly addressing the challenges that they face. Twelve-step programs like Narcotics Anonymous (http://www.eanaonline.org/), cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational therapy, family therapy and relapse prevention are among the vast range of possibilities tapped. Don't wait to take your life back. Call San Antonio prescription drug abuse treatment centers today!