Medically reviewed by Mr. Pratik Masal, MBA (Healthcare Management)
Prescription medicine addiction is dependence on medicines that were often started legitimately — sedatives and benzodiazepines, sleeping tablets, or opioid painkillers — where use has become compulsive or the body can no longer function without them. Sharanam provides medically supervised residential treatment.
What the treatment involves
- Medically supervised, gradual tapering. This is essential: stopping benzodiazepines abruptly can cause seizures, and opioid withdrawal, while rarely fatal, is severe. Doses are reduced on a monitored schedule, never all at once.
- Assessment of the original problem — the pain, insomnia or anxiety the medicine was first prescribed for — so it can be treated properly.
- Assessment of co-occurring mental illness.
- Counselling and coping strategies to replace the medication.
- Relapse-prevention planning and aftercare.
What to realistically expect
Coming off a long-standing prescription can take weeks and is done deliberately slowly to keep it safe and tolerable. Dependence of this kind carries no shame — it often begins with a genuine medical need. The goal is a safe taper and a durable plan for managing the underlying condition without the drug.
Questions families ask
Not necessarily. Physical dependence can develop even when a medicine is taken as directed, and stopping some prescriptions abruptly — benzodiazepines especially — can be dangerous. A supervised taper is the safe way to come off them.
Yes. Records, admission and correspondence are handled discreetly and shared only with the clinicians involved in care and people the resident consents to.