Effects Of Overmedication On Society

Drug overdose from medications designed to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are on the rise. This is likely due to an overwhelming amount of children, nearly 3 million, prescribed medication for ADHD each year (Spiller, Hays, & Aleguas, 2013). ADHD affects nearly 10% of the national population and is rising due to newer diagnostic criteria (Levine, et al., 2013). In the past, ADHD was only diagnosed in school aged children, but new studies suggest that diagnosis can be made in the preschool age as well (Levine, et al., 2013). Because of the new age criteria affecting more young children, the number of prescription of ADHD drugs will rise each year which will increase the amount of ADHD prescription overdose (Adis, 2014).

In this day and age, drugs are being prescribed without hesitation. In fact, many of these drugs are being prescribed for children with various disorders. One of these disorders is called Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). An estimated five to ten percent of children are diagnosed with this syndrome (Taylor 11). One of the methods to treat this disorder is to use stimulants, specifically Ritalin. This method is controversial because it has many side effects and its long-term effects are unknown. It can also lead to addiction. Approximately two to three percent of elementary school children are taking some kind of stimulant to treat ADHD (Taylor 64). Since so many children are taking this medication, new problems have arisen.

In today's society people are quick to find easy and fast ways to make them feel better or reduce stress leading to long term health problems. Medication is designed to ease someone or somethings pain, but overusing a drug can result in side effects that can force someone to need more drugs to get better. Siri Carpenter believes that the use of multiple and unnecessary medication is escalating and frightening. “The use of multiple, often unnecessary medications — especially among older people — is an entrenched, escalating, frightening, and mostly unexamined problem in modern healthcare care,” (Carpenter 1). People find it easy to take

The dangers and possible harmful effects that these medications hold for a young child will not help the parents feel too convinced about the usage of medication. As stated in Time this month, “We know that kids are not just little adults, they metabolize medications differently” (Kluger, et al). Parents might feel scared or reluctant to administer medication after hearing assertions about the dangers. Parents worry enough about their kids everyday without the use of a strong medication. The tendency to assume that doctors fear the usage of medication in children is overwhelming. It is more than clear to see why parents, or anyone affected by this disorder

There are many medications that affect children’s health in today’s society. Doctors prescribe lots of medication which can be avoided, when children are properly diagnosed with certain health problems. Attention - deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has impacted many people with the danger of certain medications which is overprescribed to all ages each year. The hidden dangers of the medications these doctors are prescribing, is that our children are being misdiagnosed with ADHD at a very early age, and this is causing many different side effects. Long term use of these medications can cause severe side effects. The most commonly prescribed drugs, are Ritalin, Adderall and Concerta, which cause children to have nervousness, appetite suppression, insomnia and increased blood pressure and heart problems. Also pharmaceutical companies are well aware of the danger to children and adults that these drugs may cause.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most commonly found disorder in children in the United States. Statistics show that the male to female ratio for children with ADHD is eight to one. 4.4 million Children between the ages four to seventeen have diagnosed with ADHD (Cheng Tina L et al.). African American children are at a higher risk for having ADHD. Caucasian children are least likely to have ADHD. 2.5 million children receive medication for ADHD, but African American children are half as likely as Caucasian children to take ADHD medication(Cheng Tina L et al.). If African American children do not take medication for ADHD the child will most likely do drugs, drop out of school, or find it harder to receive a job when they get older. There is not cure for children who have ADHD, but there is medication children can take to decrease their hyperactive and impulsive symptoms. Adderall, Methylin, Concerta, and Focalin are some of the medications given for children who have ADHD. Methylphenidate is the most common medication prescribed by physicians for ADHD. “Methylphenidate takes effects within fifteen minutes of taking it and lasts between four and twelve hours a day.” (Hughes, Katsiyannis, and Ryan). Although medication is out there for the children to take, some of the medication given haves negative side effects. ADHD is not preventable. Parents should not only avoid drinking, smoking, or doing any other type of drugs to prevent ADHD, but also to prevent

to unnecessarily overprescribe medications to their pediatric patients. Of these prescription drugs, opioid pain killers, antibiotics, and psychiatric medications are the most commonly overprescribed in child care. For example, opioid prescriptions have increased 300 percent in the past seventeen years (Boerner 20), over 50 million unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions are written each year (Murray 266), and 6.4 million psychiatric prescriptions are given to children between the ages of four and seventeen each year (Johnson 19). The overprescribing of these medications leads to children experiencing unnecessary side effects, increases the chances of addictions, and encourages drug resistance. In this essay, I will be proposing that there should be a (i) government enforced set of extensive regulations and checklists that each patient must fulfill before receiving a prescription and (ii) governmental laws prohibiting careless prescribing by doctors and hold doctors more accountable for the prescriptions they write.

Psychotropic medications, also referred to as psychiatric or psychotherapeutic medications, are used to treat psychiatric disorders, such as: depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). They have been used for many years and oftentimes come with dangerous side effects. The side effects that often occur in children taking these medications can include: fainting, blurred vision, vomiting, extreme weight gain, and even death ("Seroquel information,” n.d.). The use of psychotropic medication to treat mental disorders in children and adolescents is highly controversial because of ethical viewpoints (i.e. parents “drugging” their children to calm them down) and potentially

Random controlled studies have been conducted regarding one of the main concerns which is substance abuse, increase of blood pressure and heart problems. There is a new debate for people who take the drugs extended periods of symptoms of chest paid, heart attacks, and strokes (Harvard Health Publications, 2017). The stimulants used to treat ADHD is considered to have potential for recreational abuse for teens, and grows into substance abuse as an adult (Harvard Health Publications, 2017). In August of 2003 through December of 2005 there were 64 hospital records that involved ADHD medications caused by intentional ingestion, or of an overdose (Harvard Health Publications, 2017). The diagnoses and medication has a higher rate in the United States than in the UK due to prescription guidelines being more relaxed and being prescribed to children under the age of six ( Steer, 2014). With the wide criteria used to diagnose children, the number of prescriptions for ADHD medications are increasing to large numbers to treat ADHD (Steer, 2014). Due to the increasing misdiagnoses and surrounding issues of medications provided to children, before considering medications it is also important to research other alternative treatments that can be beneficial as

In the modern age of technological and medical advancements such as organ transplants and robotic limbs, Americans have developed unrealistic expectations about prescription drugs. The false belief that the right pill in the right dosage can cure all has led to a national epidemic: over prescription. Since the 1970s, the average American’s expenditure on prescription drugs has doubled because not only are new treatments for almost every ailment now available, but they are also aggressively advertised on television, the internet, and social media. At the same time that the American population confronts health issues associated with rising age, obesity, and stress levels, prescription drugs promise a quick fix for everything from depression to acne to insomnia leading to a one pill fix all.

In the United States, 9.5 percent of children between the ages of 3 and 17 were diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD (Morris 1). ADHD is defined as a constant issue with hyperactivity, lack of focus, inability to control behavior, or a combination of these (Berger 1). In order to quell the difficulties caused by ADHD, parents will usually resort to sending their child to a physician to prescribe a specific medication. These medications serve a great purpose, but also include numerous unwanted side effects. As of 2010, 48 percent of 325 surveyed patients reported side effects caused by ADHD medications, the most frequent being loss of appetite, sleep problems and mood swings. About 21 percent of these side effects

Overmedicating is a very common pharmaceutical issue. Maris mentions an older woman he visited with who had knee surgery a year prior. The woman had severely swollen legs and feet, and when asked how many medications she was currently taking, she pulled out a freezer bag full and explained it was more than a dozen. Her doctor prescribed her an anti-depressant before her surgery, implicating he was doing so because most people get depressed after surgery. The woman was still taking these anti-depressants a year later. (Maris, 2) Doctors continuously overmedicate. The more insurance that walks through the door, whether it’s for follow-ups, prescriptions, or surgeries, the more they benefit; this is not an accusation, but just a coincidence. It may be safe to say some things are not carefully thought out, and the best method for treatment is not always the chosen

This Research Project will be on the effects of Prescription Drug Abuse, and the affects it can have on the lives of those abusing them. In the report I will go into further details on the difference between what it means to be physically dependent to prescription drugs, and what it means to be addicted to the prescription drugs. Questions will be left to ask as to why there are so many overdoses to prescription drugs, and what ages groups are more likely to abuse them What can we do to stop the easy access there is to most of these drugs? How do most of these prescriptions become so easily abused and What can the adverse side effects be? Out of 52million people 20% of those aged 12 and older have used prescription drugs for non-medical reasons, many would say it is because of them been so easily accessible, but I would argue and say it is because nowadays many of the younger generations are following what they see on t.v such as

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be described as a disorder that affects the central nervous system (CNS). At the current time, the cause of ADHD is still unknown (Mohammadi & Akhondzadeh, 2007). It is considered one of the greatest prevalent chronic health disorders that affect children (ages less than or equal to 17) and rates continue to rise (Mohammadi & Akhondzadeh, 2007). Presently, ADHD has been medically managed by two categories of medications which can be classified as stimulants or nonstimulants. According to the Texas Children’s Medication Algorithm Project (CMAP) (2007) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2015), stimulants continue to be first line choice in treating ADHD and show a

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).