Abuse of Prescription Drugs on College Campuses Essay

Years ago, the common image of an adolescent drug abuser was a teen trying to escape from reality on illegal substances like cocaine, heroin, or marijuana. Today, there is a great discrepancy between that perception and the reality of who is likely to abuse drugs. A teenage drug abuser might not have to look any further than his or her parent’s medicine chest to ‘score.’ Prescription drug abuse by teens is on the rise. Also, teens are looking to prescription drugs to fulfill different needs other than to feel good or escape the pressures of adulthood. Teens may be just as likely to resort to drugs with ‘speedy’ side effects, like Ritalin to help them study longer, as they are to use prescription

According to Columbia Casa and University of Minnesota (2015), students are facing the demands of coursework, part-time jobs, internships, social obligations and more, many turn to drugs as a way to cope.  More students than ever are taking stimulants, such as Adderall, for example to help students stay awake long enough to study or complete assignments on time. All too often, these prescription drugs are obtained without a legitimate prescription or with legitimate prescription and are selling to friends and others. Students are now exploring many new aspects of their lives and wonder what could come their way. It’s not uncommon for that self-exploration to dip into drug experimentation. Students who are surround themselves with other experimenters that are trying recreational and performance-enhancer drugs are more likely to try these substances for themselves. These habits lead to a drop in a college students academic grade and has been proven to do so. (Addiction Center 2015) According to National Institute on Drug Abuse Young Adults ranging in age 18-25, the abuse of prescription drugs is second only to abuse of

Unfortunately, the producers of Purdue Pharma’s Oxycontin didn’t realize how easy it was to break that outer shell, and have instant access to twelve hours worth of drugs. This realization by the public, caused a devastating and widespread increase in addition to the drug, and the transition to the drug seen as a “street” drug. Unlike many other types of medications where you can be prescribed a dosage and stay on that dosage for a long time. "Your body adapts to Oxycontin. Essentially, you require more to get the same effect, and what happens is a steady escalation in dosage. After a year or two of treatment, you are on extremely high levels of these drugs (Tunnel, 2005)". Oxycontin transitioned from a lifeline for people with chronic pain, to an addiction caused by a greedy corporation.

      As well as killing pain, moderate doses of pure opioids produce a range of mild effects. They depress the activity of the nervous system, including such reflexes as coughing, breathing and heart rate. They also cause widening of the blood vessels, which gives a feeling of warmth and reduces bowel activity, which causes constipation.

In the early 1990’s many doctors were hesitant in prescribing narcotics because they were seen as harmful and habit forming. Purdue Pharma the creator of OxyContin changed the ways of the drug industry. Purdue changed the mindset of many physicians and family doctors inconveniencing them that the new to the market drug was revolutionary, with promises of quick pain relief that last up to 12 hours. With marketing adds like “Remember, effective relief just takes two” Purdue Pharma convinced doctors that it was virtually impossible to become addicted (HARRIET RYAN, 2016). The rise of OxyContin started in 1996. OxyContin

Prescription drug abuse is the type of problem that can potentially have an effect on a large number of Americans. In 2003, the National Institute on Drug Abuse did a “Monitoring the Future Study” of 8th, 10th, and 12th, graders and found that 10.5% of 12th graders reported were misusing Vicodin and 4.5% of 12th graders had taken OxyContin without a prescription. Vicodin is a popular pain medication prescribed for some of the most common medical procedures, such as wisdom teeth removal. It is an opioid-based pain medication that diminishes pain; it is highly addictive when not used in accordance with the prescribed dosage. OxyContin is a narcotic similar to morphine, containing a high dose of oxycodone. Since its initial approval in 1995, it has gotten a great deal of attention because of the large number of overdoses it is associated with.

To ease this pain researchers associated with Purdue Pharma created Oxycontin to help patients with chronic and unbearable pain resulting from accidents, cancer or old age. In every year since it was released, the number of prescriptions prescribed to patients has increased by several hundred percent. Oxycontin is a trade controlled release form of Oxycodone that is prescribed to treat chronic pain. When used properly, Oxycontin can provide pain relief for up to twelve hours. The drug enters the body and stimulates certain opoid receptors that are located

Stolz explains that college students across the U.S. are taking advantage of the black market from the stimulate and using it as a study drug (2012). With easy access, students have no issue finding a source, whether it’s illegally from someone willing to sell their own prescription for quick cash, or getting it wrongly prescribed from a clinic (Stolz, 2012). Health clinics in colleges are a convenient source of medical care, but they are also providing an effortless opportunity for any student to obtain a prescription through misdiagnosis. Stolz (2012), discloses that students in college are able to simply walk in without an appointment, mention a few key symptoms such as trouble focusing and conveniently acquire a prescription for Adderall. The on-campus clinics eliminate the need for appointments and advanced prolonged testing with psychiatrists allowing the students to receive an ADHD diagnosis easily (Stolz

At this time the patient is completely addicted to the medication, since the medication does decrease the pain, it also releases the dopamine chemical in the brain the feel good chemical. During this the brain is no longer releasing the chemical dopamine; this will cause the patient to start to show signs and symptoms of withdrawal. A person who is withdrawing from Oxycontin may exhibit signs of stomach upset, aggressive behavior, flue like symptoms, agitation behavior, becoming increasing restless. Now that the patient cannot receive medication from the doctor the next step to receive the fix is to buy the drug off the street. If the person is able to find the drug on the street, the person will usually spend up to eighty dollars for one pill of Oxycontin 80mg. some of the ways that the person can ingest the medication for a faster effect is to crush and snort the pill, dissolve the drug and inject the drug straight into the vein. When injected in to a vein, or snorted the person, will get the full effect of the drug at one time this is called a bolus. In case the person is unable to acquire the medication, the next step would be heroin to ward off the withdraw pain. Since heroin and Oxycontin are chemically the same, the person may feel the same effects but at a cheaper price on the

a so- called "junkie" if you use it. It affects the hygiene and personal appearance of the user a great deal, because nothing is as important to the user anymore as where that next hit will come from. Heroin is injected and sometimes snorted. It causes great euphoria, but also nausea and

On a college campus, it is a well-known fact that drugs are readily available in this day and age. If a student wants to get his hands on any type of drugs, there are ways he can do so. Drug use among college students may happen for a number of reasons. There is a lot of pressure that comes with having to perform well on exams. Some students will eventually break under this pressure and look for an outlet to ease their anxiety. One of these outlets could be common street drugs, it would allow them to escape the reality they are in and give them a short term sense of freedom. Free from their obligations and worries. Another reason may be because they want to fit into a certain social group and are being pressured to do so. Drugs are an addictive substance; after someone uses them once, it may be too late to turn back. Having a drug addiction is dangerous as it can damage many vital organs in your body and impair brain functions. Abusing drugs can be a life threatening issue and therefore should be taken seriously. If you believe a loved one or friend is having drug problems but doesn’t want to tell you, there are a few ways to find out for yourself.

The most common symptoms of OxyContin will divide into four-parts mood, behavioral, physical and Physiological symptoms. The symptoms that will come under mood category will be euphoria, depression, Anxiety and mood swings. Some of the symptoms that will come under behavioral category taking multiple prescription of oxycodone, visiting several doctors for more prescription for OxyContin, disorganized the thoughts and behavior, thinking about the drug all the time, reduced ability to concentrate or maintain attention to other work, Social withdrawal and due to taking excessive amount of drug relationship could be lost, Lying or stealing prescription from relatives or friends, secretly using the drug and may be hiding drug in several places around

Even though people need their prescriptions, the abuse of them is getting out of control and we need to find a way to regulate it better,because it can destroy a family, cause some to become addicted, or even kill them. Prescription drugs are no joke, they can be worse than illegal drugs like marijuana, cocaine, and even heroin. The only difference is a doctor can prescribe these types of drugs. The problem we run into with prescription drugs is there is not enough being done to keep the person from becoming addicted or them selling to others. In 2007 2.5 million Americans abused just painkillers (Drug free world). That is not even including the other two types. Now it is starting to affect teens, one out of every ten teenagers admit to abusing a prescribed drug(Drug-free world).

Oxycodone, often sold as OxyContin, is an opiate drug that come is an opioid that comes from the poppy plant. Sometimes, Oxycodone will be combined with over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen or ibuprofen to increase the effective and potency of the drug. In all of its forms, Oxycodone changes the way the central nervous system responds to pain by creating a euphoric and sedative effect. This time-released painkiller meant for patients who need of moderate to severe pain relief after surgery or a major

1 I believe teenagers are the most likely to abuse OTC drugs. With the laws on tobacco and alcohol becoming stricter, teenagers are quick to look elsewhere to get high. You can purchase OTC products at any local grocery store or pharmacy, making it very easy to get a hold of cough syrup, painkillers, and strong cold medicines. For adults it can be equally as easy to get prescription medications, which are typically stronger. Doctors don’t usually give these prescriptions to minors because it may lead to health or developmental problems for someone who is still growing.