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Recovering from Addiction to Prescription Medications

I never thought of myself as an addict, but I did end up addicted to anti-anxiety medication after developing Generalized Anxiety Disorder. At some point, the medicine stopped being a way to deal with the nervousness and panic attacks, and became something my body craved. I knew that I needed help fast. Fortunately, a local drug rehab program includes support for people like me. They helped me wean off the medication, use methods like massage therapy to help my nerves heal, and even provided ongoing counseling for our family. I don't know how I would have made it without their help. If you suspect that your medication has crossed the line from being helpful to hurtful, take heart. Let me tell you about my journey out of addiction and back to wholeness.

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Recovering from Addiction to Prescription Medications

Want To Try Online Dermatology?

by Valerie Stevens

With doctor's costs increasing and insurance payouts shrinking -- even in-network -- telemedicine and its cousin, the medical app, are becoming very popular. The lack of a need for office space and travel cuts costs substantially for people who don't need much face-to-face time with a doctor. If you are currently looking for an online doctor, especially a dermatologist, keep the following in mind to help you choose the right service.

General Help vs. Prescription Ability

Dermatology is particularly well-suited for nline medicine because the symptoms of most conditions tend to be visible. (It's not like internal or family medicine, where someone could merely feel bad; in dermatology, you've got the problem right on your skin.) But many dermatology issues eventually require a prescription. When you choose a service, ensure you know how far they can go. Some provide only a surface-level (no pun intended) diagnosis but can't provide prescriptions, while others can. Services that can provide prescriptions usually cost more than those that don't, but that may be worth it if you think you're dealing with something systemic.

You Need Notifications Enabled

If you go with an app for your service, always enable notifications; that way you can save login and check every hour to see if someone's responded to your questions. Once you submit your information and a photo of the problem area on your skin, all you can do is wait, and it's better to wait while knowing that the app will notify you instead of constantly checking and wondering about a reply. If you usually decline notifications on apps, make an exception for this one.

Confidentiality Levels

You're sending a photo of a skin problem via a smartphone in most cases. When you take the picture, be aware of what else is ending up in the photo (e.g., identifiable portions of your face, and so on). Ensure that the app you use has good security and that the app has options to delete the photo. That way, you don't have to worry about what others see should your phone fall into someone else's hands.

Doctor responses to queries are usually quick. If you don't need to see someone face-to-face and essentially want to ask only the question "What is that and what do I do?" online dermatologist visits are just the thing for you. It's only a matter of finding the app or other online services that offer the right level of care given your needs.

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