Expert: Peter L. - 11/23/2009

Question
hi my names joe and im 21 years old. Ive been taking roxy's for the last 2 and a half years on and off(mostly on). I have never gone a full week without taking them mostly snorting it. I have OCD and ADHD which i was diagnosed with at a young age. Im sure there is a connection because ive always had problems concentrating because of the millions of things going in and out of my head at once making it very hard to focus on soemthing(mostly anxiety thoughts and worries) i started taking these pills and realizing that my concentration was amazing and i just felt great occasionally taking aderol as well. Im in college so i use it to have a good time along with alcohol consumption. Recently Ive really wanted to stop this and start my life but it is very hard. Im confused all the time and in a situation so mcuh worse then i started at.i feel i used to be alot quicker and intellegent befor this. is this in my head? Will i go back to the mental state i was befor i started is this from the roxy's? Did this make my OCD and ADHD and anxiety worse(all probably connected i would love clarity on that as well)Anything vitamins to help? i try to exercise alot will this help? Also did this increase my blood pressure b/c now i have higher BP? I really need an experts help, i am very strong willed and i will get off this i just need some clarity and knowledge about this. MY anxiety is through the roof and i cant concentrate on anything b/c im jsut worried about something. If i take a pill roxy or aderoll im above focused but with out it i am way worse then befor all of this. i was thinking of taking zanny's to slowly come off and im sure thats not that great of an idea. i would love some advice. Mainly will my mental health go back to normal or am always going to be sightly worse then befor i started this dumb action. some one plzzzz help me or at least answer some of my questions. THAnks for your  time.

Answer
Hi Joe,

Roxicodone is an opiate, so highly addictive.  You're reporting taking a lot of these, so I imagine you've built up, or are building up quite a tolerance to them.  

You appear to be self-medicating with these drugs and the Adderol, and I understand how they can appear to be working.  Drugs "work" in the sense that they stimulate when one wants stimulation, and are calmative (anti-anxiety) when someone seeks that relief.  The problem is taking drugs in this way, and not consulting a physician, counselor or treatment program.  It's really not a successful strategy for the long term management of anxiety, OCD, or ADHD.  Addiction gets in the way of your self-medication attempts and you suffer the many consequences.  You also are likely making your mental health problems worse overall, for a number of reasons.

My point?  You need an evaluation and treatment ASAP.  You also probably need detoxification to stabilize you physically and eliminate or minimize withdrawal risks.  All the conditions you mention can be treated clinically. You also need to learn how to live substance-free, and that can take a lot of effort.  You're young and probably have not yet experienced the kinds of heavy-duty consequences that communicate to people the message that drug abuse is not a sustainable act!  In other words, all of this will get worse, much worse, if you don't act.

When you achieve some clean time from the addictive behavior, your mental health symptoms will be able to be better assessed.  Your brain is impacted by the drug abuse, and will have to recover.  This will take some time, so be patient and don't get discouraged.

Look in your phone directory, or do an on-line search for treatment programs in your area.

All the best to you,
Peter