Essay On Doctor Prescribing Pills

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).

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

Not all prescription drugs have the potential for abuse and addiction. Many drugs don’t even act in the brain. For example, antibiotics are not addictive. On the rare occasion people who take drugs for medical conditions may become addicted. This is why it is extremely important to be under a doctor’s care while taking prescription medication.4 Most prescription drugs are taken in a form that gets to the brain slowly at a dose that treats a problem, but doesn’t overwhelm the system. Both of which reduce the likelihood of an addiction. Long-term medical use of prescription drugs can

We in America tend to take medications for almost any problem we have, from headaches to gastrointestinal pain, to more serious chronic disorders such as depression and attention deficit disorder. While many of the uses of such medications may be necessary and legitimate, many are not, and due to this fact, many people become dependent on medications, mentally, and or physically. This problem is not simply the fault of the individual; in fact, the blame can also be placed upon the medical community, and the pharmaceutical companies who produce the drugs. How often can one turn on the television to see advertisements for Claritin, Aspirin, Pepto-Bismol, or even Zoloft or Ritalin? The pharmaceutical industry is motivated by monetary

A new escalating drug abuse epidemic has come about in the recent years; people are now choosing prescription pills as their new drug of choice. The use, abuse and death caused by prescription drugs has increased significantly within the past couple years. All types of prescription pills are more easily accessible from their doctors, family members or off the street. Doctors are handing out prescriptions for pills, such as pain management pills, muscle relaxers, and anti-anxiety, like they are candy and not potentially dangerous to the consumers. In today’s society doctors are over prescribing pills to Americans and the prescription pill distribution should be more closely monitored and controlled. Although there are people who benefit

We live in a nation where thousands of people are constantly suffering from chronic pain; due to hard work, improper use of body mechanics, and accidents. As a result the population has become fairly accustomed to taking medications as a fast way to alleviate their pain. The majority of the population does not know what is in the pills they are taking. They rely on their professional physicians to make the decision as to what is being prescribed. They rarely question the side effects, effectiveness, or safety. The public is constantly targeted by advertisement. Making people believe that they know all the information needed to use new medication. Companies are constantly introducing new pills with various uses. Advertisements urge the

This author goes into great depth in telling what these medications are and what they do. She even goes as far as to tell how much pharmacies profit from patients pain and addiction. Although overdose is a concern with these medications, pain can also cause some people to contemplate suicide. This made medical professionals step back and ask themselves what would be the best way to save a life in that particular situation. (Kirkey-3). Although Kirkey talks about the risk

People all over the world, continue to be tendered prescription medication, which in many cases further complicate health issues with its myriad of side effects. In fact, statistics have shown that approximately 100,000 people around the world die as a result of prescription drugs annually (Smith, 2012). On the contrary, according

This is obviously a huge topic in bioethics debates, especially recently after various changes in Federal Healthcare protocols. Some people depend on pharmaceuticals as a daily part of their routine, requiring some medicine or other for a condition or health issue. A prime example of this is the recent hike in the price of epinephrine shots, commonly known as the Epipen produced by Mylan Pharmaceuticals. This medication has seen a huge increase in pricing rising from roughly $50 in 2007 to over $600 this year. This is a shot used for common allergic reactions and therefore is used or carried by millions of people every day. The concern then is that pricing will get too high and patients will have to do without some medications leaving them vulnerable or even helpless in the face of certain conditions.

Prescription and over the counter drugs. If you asked the vast majority of people in the US if there a problem with more of the well-known prescription and over the counter drugs they would tell you no. Take ibuprofen for example, many people think that this drug is absolutely safe with only a very small chance of it harming you in any way. But just last year the FDA has strengthen the warning on all NSAID’s. NSAID’s stand for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and ibuprofen lands in that category. While many people don't take medicine that say ibuprofen many you might be taking something like Motrin or Advil, and these to fall into the category of NSAID’s.

Imagine going into your doctor’s office for an easily treatable illness, and coming out with a slip for an orange bottle full of pills. Now imagine taking them every single day for the next several years because your body has become reliant on these pills to perform properly. Prescription medications have the capacity to do various things to the body. Many of these drugs have been scientifically proven to have successful results by helping patients cure certain diseases or conditions. However, many of them have been known to have a bad effect or reverse reaction to the body that an individual is not aware of. A plethora of drugs are helping so many people but at the same time putting them into danger if they are over or misprescribed. Is the

There are many direct to consumer advertising for prescription drugs. On television, magazines, radio etc, you see the most recent advertisements for prescription drugs. After some people see the advertisements they soon rush over to their doctor and their illness and life would be perfectly pain and stress free. Making the public conscious of options for treatment is not a bad thing. But these false advertisements are misleading consumers onto unnecessary treatment.

Why are these medications being prescribed when they have such negative side-effects? It is easy to say that the companies are simply unaware of the side-effects, but with all possible information considered, that becomes less likely. When drug companies start marketing a new drug, they do not publish the studies that the conducted prior to the release. They market the potential for positive improvements, but keep potential very negative side effects to themselves (2004). In regard to Paxil, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) admitted that they knew of potential negative side effects, but still did not publish the results of the studies they did (2004).

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).

Medicine is becoming more and more popular in the United States and many people do not realize that overuse can hurt them. Medicine should only be used for last resort if all else fails, but in today’s world, people use it as a quick fix for every little thing they have. We rely on prescription and over the counter medication way too much for illnesses that are not severe and it is doing more harm than good.