Effects Of Prescription Drugs On People Essay

With access to prescription drugs, people are able to treat a multitude of diseases and illnesses. These drugs help deal with pain, inability to sleep, depression, and much more. Every day we are increasingly living in a world where there is better living through chemicals. However, what most do not seem to see is the rising tide of pain, illness, and ultimately death being caused by the pills people take every day. Most keep drugs in a special place in their minds, where they see them as harmless. Sadly, this is not the case, and in some cases our prescription drugs can be just as harmful as illegal drugs (King 68).

Drug abuse is one of the most discouraged behaviors in our country. In the United States of America, we, the people value several things, some of which are freedom, expanding and taking care of our families and our financial security. We, the people, take such things for granted. We also discourage some behavior, such as crime, laziness and use of illegal drugs.

Millions of people throughout the world are taking drugs on a daily basis. If you were to ask someone why they take prescription drugs, most people would be taking them for the right reason. However, it’s estimated that twenty percent of people in the United States alone have used prescription drugs for non-medical reasons.1 Prescription drug abuse is a serious and growing problem that often goes unnoticed. Abusing these drugs can often lead to addiction and even death. You can develop an addiction to certain drugs that may include: narcotic painkillers, sedatives, tranquilizers, and stimulants.1 Prescription drugs are the most common abused category of drugs, right next to marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and

The rate of death due to prescription drug abuse in the U.S. has escalated 313 percent over the past decade. According to the Congressional Quarterly Transcription’s article "Rep. Joe Pitt Holds a Hearing on Prescription Drug Abuse," opioid prescription drugs were involved in 16,650 overdose-caused deaths in 2010, accounting for more deaths than from overdoses of heroin and cocaine. Prescribed drugs or painkillers sometimes "condemn a patient to lifelong addiction," according to Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This problem not only affects the lives of those who overdose but it affects the communities as well due to the convenience of being able to find these items in drug stores and such.

Prescription drug abuse has become an epidemic in the United States especially among the youth of our country. The Partnership for a Drug Free America says that 2,500 teens a day abuse prescription drugs. Abuse of these narcotics can lead to serious mental and physical consequences. Why is this such a problem, what can we do to solve it, and how is it affecting our social lives?

Specific purpose: To inform my audience about the growing problem of prescription drug abuse, some common drugs that cause abuse, and their effects and some common treatments.

1). People have begun to rely on prescription drugs, more today than ever before. This is one of the immediate reasons for the breakdown in the patient-doctor relationship – the evolution and rise in the development of pharmaceuticals and prescription drugs (Changing, pg 3). For instance, the Baby Boomers are recognized nationally for taking the most prescription drugs. According to my mother, patients rely primarily on prescription drugs rather than other forms of treatment because of the fast paced economy and because society as a whole has adopted a “lack of caring” attitude. “As people age, all they want are pills.”-Mother

The very same items a doctor prescribes to help people get well might be making them sick. Prescription drugs are being taken for reasons other than the ones they are being prescribed for, fueling an addiction that impacts as many as 48 million Americans ("Prescription Drug Abuse" WebMD). According to MedLinePlus, "an estimated 20 percent of people in the United States have used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons. This is prescription drug abuse." While a considerable amount of time, resources, and attention are focused on the problems associated with illicit drugs, prescription drug abuse is "an increasing problem," with very serious consequences for individuals, families, and communities (MayoClinic Staff). The United States Office of National Drug Control Policy claims, "Prescription drug abuse is the Nation's fastest-growing drug problem, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has classified prescription drug abuse as an epidemic." Because prescription drugs are viewed as safe due to their being part of the doctor's pharmacopeia, the same psychological, legal, ethical, and social barriers to abuse might not be present. However, prescription drug abuse creates a wide range of problems, including dangerous or lethal side effects, long-term addiction, and the dismantling of family and community

Illegal drugs such as Heroin, Cocaine, and Meth, along with countless other narcotics place a heavy burden on the population of the United States, with an emphasis of distress on the youth. These drugs are extremely deadly. In 2014, 17,465 people died from overdoses in the United States alone. These drugs are illegal, and evidently for a very good cause. Transition The only problem is that there is an even deadlier factor that exist in today 's modern society, and that problem exists in the form of prescriptions written to millions of people each year from certified and legal doctors. In 2014 the same year stated above, 25,760 people in the United States died from overdoses from drugs that they received legally and often with good intentions, from family doctors that they know and trust (Bellware). That is over 8,000 more people dying from prescription drugs compared to illegal drugs. Prescription drug abuse is a problem in the United States and it is fueled by famous individuals, promotions by pharmaceutical companies and by doctors.

Today prescription medication is taken for reasons or in ways or amounts not intended by a doctor, or taken by someone other than the person for whom they are prescribed. The estimated deaths from prescription medications are increasing each year. Narcotics are the most common abuse substance by Americans, after alcohol and marijuana. By keeping track of prescriptions could cut down the deaths and prevent the escalation of addiction.

Prescription medications are intended to help individuals not create new problems. When an individual is diagnosed with ADHD they often seek medical attention. Medication will often be prescribed to help this individual manage their ADHD symptoms. However, many of the medications used to treat ADHD are stimulants. These stimulants can have adverse effects on the human body. There are hidden dangers when using ADHD medications such as side effects, addiction, and classification.

Drugs have different effects on your physiological state of well being. Drugs can inhibit your ability to thinking rationally and make smart decisions. Drugs can alter your physicological systems in your body. They can speed up or slow down your circulatory –respioratory sytems; causing an imbalnce of homeostasis in the body. This can eventaully cause your body stress and can create an illnesses such as a heart attack, rapid heartbeat, and major effects on the liver. Emergency room visits have significantly increase in recent years because of overdoses of prescrition drugs. Nearly 28,000 people died in 2007 beause of unintended drug poisioning (ONDCP, 2011). Beacuase of these adverse affects on our health; this is why prescription drugs are a rising public health problem. It is also an issue that we should care about because this is a problem that not only affects the health of individuals but the economy as well. According to CDC-NCHS the United States spent for $234.1 billion in 2008 on prescription drugs. However, the goverment has implemented plans to prevent this public health issue from progressing. The plan consists of educating parents, youth, and patients about

Did you know that prescription drug abuse is one of the leading causes of death in the United States? “According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, two-hundred and ninety people in the United States are killed by prescription drugs every day. (White)” That number is growing every year due to the lack of knowledge of prescription drugs and the potential harm they can cause. Many people are under the misconception that prescription drugs are safe because they are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and they are prescribed by a doctor. Therefore, the drugs must be safe and could not possibly cause harm or be addicting. However, “the nonmedical use of prescription drugs is the fastest

The purpose of this report is to show the major problems we face in America if we do not address the misuse of prescription drugs. America’s pain pill and heroin addiction exceeds that of all other countries in the world, statistics from the UN office on Drugs and Crimes show. This report will show emphasis on the misuse of prescription drugs and some of the causes.

Past History: Smokes ½ a pack of cigarettes per day (since she was a teenager)