Support for prescription medication misuse.
Prescription medications can become difficult to manage even when their use began as part of legitimate medical care. Misuse of medications, including pain medications, sedatives, or stimulants, can affect health, daily functioning, relationships, and emotional wellbeing. Starfish provides support without judgment.
Overview
Prescription medication misuse often starts inside legitimate medical care: a pain prescription, an anti-anxiety medication, a stimulant for focus, that has become harder to manage than intended. That starting point can make it harder to recognize or admit, since the medication was doing something it was supposed to do, until it started doing more than that.
Care starts with an assessment that looks at what you are taking, how your use has changed, and what support fits, without judgment about how it started.
Who This May Help
Prescription medication misuse support fits situations that started with a legitimate prescription.
- You are taking a prescribed medication differently than prescribed, in amount or frequency
- You are concerned about dependence, tolerance, or withdrawal
- You are using medication prescribed to someone else
- A prescriber has raised concerns about your use, or declined to continue prescribing
- You are managing medication use alongside a mental health condition or another substance
- You want to reduce or stop safely rather than on your own
What to Expect
From your first conversation to ongoing care, here is how it usually goes.
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A confidential assessment
What you are taking, how your use has changed, and what support fits, without judgment. See Substance Use Assessment.
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Coordination with prescribers
With your consent, your care team can coordinate with the provider who originally prescribed the medication, so changes are made safely rather than abruptly.
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A safe plan for reducing use
Medications like benzodiazepines and opioids can be dangerous to stop suddenly. Any reduction is planned and monitored, never left to happen abruptly. See MAT where medication for opioid use applies.
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Ongoing support
Continued counseling and follow-up as your use changes. See Recovery-Focused Treatment.
Prescription Medication Misuse FAQs
My medication was prescribed to me. Is this still something you can help with?
Yes. This is one of the most common ways prescription medication misuse develops, and it is treated the same as any other substance use concern, without judgment.
Is it dangerous to just stop taking my medication?
It can be, depending on the medication. Some, including benzodiazepines and opioids, carry real withdrawal risks if stopped abruptly, which is why any change is planned with your care team rather than done on your own.
Will you contact my prescribing doctor?
Only with your written consent. Coordinating with your original prescriber, when you agree to it, usually makes the plan safer.
Is this confidential?
Yes, with the same protections as any other behavioral health treatment.
What if I need this medication for a real medical condition?
Your underlying medical need is part of the conversation. The goal is a plan that manages that need safely, not simply stopping the medication.