Benzos And Senior Citizens: Are They At Risk For Becoming Addicted? Drug opiate addiction treatment in British Columbia and Alberta – Options Okanagan Treatment Centers in Kelowna, British Columbia treating drug, opiate, fentanyl, heroin and alcohol addiction and recovery.
Drug Rehab In Alberta And BC
Benzos And Senior Citizens At Risk Of Becoming Addicted
Numerous senior citizens these days are taking cocktails of dangerous and potent drugs on a daily basis. Some of those drugs, are of course necessary for certain conditions like heart problems, arthritis, high blood pressure, and much more. However, the elderly are also taking various pills for depression, anxiety, and sleep problems. Benzodiazepines like Valium, Klonopin, Ativan, and Xanax are being prescribed at a very alarming rate to senior citizens.
Problems arise whenever the individual has memory problems and cannot properly follow dosing directions. Or, the drugs they take might have adverse interactions. A lot of these people have increased risk for car accidents, broken bones, falls, and other types of dangers.
Elderly individuals don’t always discuss with their doctors what the side effect are of taking multiple prescriptions at the same time. Often they assume that many of the symptoms that they are experiencing are due to old age. Therefore, the problems that arise with benzos and senior citizens frequently get overlooked or are misdiagnosed. Quite often, they are given a different medication in order to counteract their symptoms, but their problem continues to get worse.
The Dangers Of Seniors Using Benzo Over The Long Term
Some experts think that many dementia signs frequently result from the side effects caused by the combination of different prescription drugs that an individual is taking. Anxiety, sleep disturbances, appetite problems, kidney and bladder problems, dizziness, confusion, blurred vision, memory loss, and more are frequently attributed to old age. However, it is important to look closely at what else may be occurring with these people.
As we grow older, our bodily functions significantly slow down. In the senior years, we discover it takes us longer to overcome illnesses and recover from colds. Also, our bodies have a more difficult time processing the chemicals that we may have consumed from medications or food. With all of that mind, we need to wonder how an elderly individual’s body is going to react to the hundreds of different chemicals that are contained in their prescription medications. That might means senior citizens need to be prescribed smaller benzos doses due to having slower metabolism.
How The Issue Of Benzos and Senior Citizens Should Be Addressed
Health studies that have been conducted report that over 13% of senior women and 10% of senior men use benzodiazepines on a regular basis. The dangers and side effects of benzos are why these drugs appear on the mental health lists as being potentially inappropriate for the elderly to use. In general, benzos are intended to be used over the short term of around four months or shorter. Unfortunately, there are many seniors who continue to be prescribed and take this drug for years.
Given that benzodiazepines pose a serious threat for addiction and dependency, physicians should talk about alternative treatment methods that are available for problems like depression, sleep disturbances, and anxiety. Particularly for those people who are taking several prescription pills on a daily basis already.
Options Okanagan Offers Assistance With Benzos Addiction
If you are worried about an elderly family member who has a benzodiazepine addiction or abuse problem, there is help that is available. Professional treatment might be required like an inpatient drug rehabilitation program to assist your loved one with overcoming their addiction. Effective treatment facilities are fully equipped and have the expertise to help an individual safely overcome their withdrawal symptoms during the detox process. Then the program provides the person with a curriculum of skills training and behavioral modification therapies to help the individual to avoid going back to their old habits.
Contact Options Okanagan today for more information on benzos and senior citizens. We will be very happy to help you with whatever we can and assist you with selecting the right treatment program for your loved one.
Options Okanagan Opiate and Alcohol Treatment Centers in Kelowna, Salmon Arm and Vancouver, British Columbia – Men and Women are recovering and healing from Alcohol and Drug Abuse at our treatment center here in the Okanagan right now.
Our unique and distinctive Opiate Drug and Alcohol treatment program allows men and women to come in from Calgary as well as Edmonton as we offer airport pickup.
Numerous clients come to us from Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton and other locations in Alberta and even other provinces for Opiate addiction treatment, heroin drug treatment, many other drug and alcohol addictions for rehabilitation because of the uniqueness of our treatment center.
Our Treatment Location:
Options Okanagan Drug and Opiate Treatment Center
551 Sherrydale Crescent, Kelowna, British Columbia, V1V 2E6
Toll Free Phone Number : 1-855-335-0331