Prescription Drug Abuse—Delirium

Delirium is a condition that features rapidly changing mental states. It causes confusion and changes in behavior. Besides falling in and out of consciousness, there may be problems with

Attention and awareness
Thinking and memory
Emotion
Muscle control
Sleeping and waking

Causes of delirium include medications, poisoning, serious illnesses or infections, and severe pain. It can also be part of some mental illnesses or dementia.

Delirium and dementia have similar symptoms, so it can be hard to tell them apart. They can also occur together. Delirium starts suddenly and can cause hallucinations. The symptoms may get better or worse, and can last for hours or weeks. On the other hand, dementia develops slowly and does not cause hallucinations. The symptoms are stable, and may last for months or years.

Delirium tremens is a serious type of alcohol withdrawal syndrome. It usually happens to people who stop drinking after years of alcohol abuse.

People with delirium often, though not always, make a full recovery after their underlying illness is treated.

Delirium (Medical Encyclopedia)
Delirium tremens (Medical Encyclopedia)

If you take a medicine in a way that is different from what the doctor prescribed, it is called prescription drug abuse. It could be

Taking a medicine that was prescribed for someone else
Taking a larger dose than you are supposed to
Taking the medicine in a different way than you are supposed to. This might be crushing tablets and then snorting or injecting them.
Using the medicine for another purpose, such as getting high

Abusing some prescription drugs can lead to addiction. These include opioids, sedatives, tranquilizers, and stimulants.

Every medicine has some risk of side effects. Doctors take this into account when prescribing medicines. People who abuse these drugs may not understand the risks. The medicines may not be safe for them, especially at higher doses or when taken with other medicines.

NIH: National Institute on Drug Abuse