Persuasive Essay On Prescription Drugs

Prescription drugs are a huge problem right now in the United States, many people do not realize that these drugs are coming out of their pharmacies into hands of people who sell these drugs to addicts and the uneducated. In Drugs, Inc. DEA agent Tom Lenox argues, “Prescription pills are one of the most significant drug problem we are facing right now not just in California but nation wide in the Untied States” (2010-2014). The reason that prescription painkillers are so deadly and such a big problem is they are highly addictive as Drug, Inc. states, “more people succumb to painkillers then heroin and methamphetamine combined.” (2010-2014) Pharmacists tend to sell pills to support their own drug habits. Many pharmacists, even though they make

The United States of America has had a war against drugs since the 37th president, Richard Nixon, declared more crimination on drug abuse in June 1971. From mid-1990s to today, a crisis challenges the health department and government on opioid regulation, as millions of Americans die due overdoses of painkillers. Opioids are substances used as painkillers, and they range from prescription medications to the illegal drug, heroin. Abusing these substances can cause a dependency or addiction, which can lead to overdoses, physical damages, emotional trauma, and death. To ease the crisis, physicians are asked to depend on alternatives to pain management. Law enforcement cracks down on profiting drug-dealers and heroin abusers. People are warned against misusing opioids. The controversy begins for those who suffer from chronic pain, because they depend on opioids. There’s so a correlation to the 1980s cocaine epidemic, and people are upset over racial discrimination. Nonetheless, the best way to avoid this crisis is to recover the people at risk, reduce inappropriate opioid description, and have a proper response.

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

First we must explore what prescription drugs are being abused. The most popular abused drugs fall into three categories. Depressants of the central nervous system typically used to anxiety or sleep disorders. Stimulant used to treat such disorders as ADHD and ADD and the most commonly abused are opiates used to treat pain. Opiates attach to receptors in the

    There has been an increase in heroin and opioid abuse in america. It has been affecting everyone and the incoming generation greatly. The use of pain reliever drugs is often the leading cause to abusing opioids and/or heroin. These pain relievers are often addictive and once people are addicted and cut off from them they begin searching for other ways to satisfy their cravings. The prescription drugs are often easily dispensed to people so it’s easier to access. This easy access makes it easier for people to get a prescription, leading to a higher risk of addiction.

Abuse is a pattern of substance use that results in negative consequences and impairment (Bukstein and Nquyen). Misuse is the use for a purpose not consistent with medical guidelines or without a prescription for the individual using the medication (Bukstein and Nquyen). Abuse of prescription opioids has been cited as the fastest growing drug problem in the United States, and has surpassed the use of cocaine and heroin combined as a cause of mortality (Singhal ). In 2013 alone, nearly two million Americans abused prescription opioids and 16,235 deaths were caused by prescription opioids representing almost a fourfold increase since 1999 (Singhal ). Two million people reported using

understand how these factors may affect them or that prescription drugs do more than cause a high, help them stay awake, help them relax, or relieve pain. Abuse can include taking a friend's or relative's prescription to get high, to treat pain, or because you think it will help with studying. The classes of prescription drugs most commonly abused are: opioid pain relievers, such as Vicodin or Oxycontin; stimulants for treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), such as Adderall, Concerta, or Ritalin; and central nervous system (CNS) depressants for relieving anxiety, such as Valium or Xanax. The most commonly abused OTC drugs are cough and cold remedies containing dextromethorphan. It is sometimes abused to

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

In the United States, 40 people die across each day due to overdosing on narcotic prescription medicine. One of the most commonly abused prescriptions is opioids painkillers such as Vicodin and codeine. Another medicine to treat anxiety and sleep aids such as Valiums and Xanax. Other abused prescriptions are stimulants to treat Attention Deficit Hyper Disorder (ADHD) like Adderall and Ritalin. When the overdose first became a problem, 60 percent of NC prescription overdose victims were dying before the arrival of emergency medical

The use of prescription drugs has become prevalent in our society for treating mental illness. Television commercial breaks are inundated with ads for prescription medication. If a person seeking help visits a psychiatrist’s office to get help for depression, anxiety, or ADHD, they are likely to get a quick swipe of a pen on a little white prescription pad and be sent on their way. While prescriptions can reduce or eliminate the symptoms of mental illness, they cannot cure the underlying source of the problem. This has been found to be the case for depression. “The effectiveness of antidepressants is being called into question more and more, while the research behind the value of behavioral interventions is growing. A study suggested that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy was as effective in preventing relapse in chronic depression as antidepressants” (Walton). Using medication by itself may give people the relief they need in the short-run, but therapy can have lasting results that will improve the person’s quality of life in lasting ways.

In the case of prescription drugs, it’s important to understand what you’re up against. According to NIDA, the most commonly abused prescribed drugs fall into three main categories: depressants, opioids, and stimulants.

The main types of drugs that get abused are Opioids, Central Nervous System Depressants and stimulants. Opioids are used often medically used to treat pain. Some examples of these drugs are Morphine, Codeine, Fentanyl and many more. The drugs act on the opioid receptors on the brain. A person becomes more tolerant to the drug the more they use it which leads to misuse to get the same

The most widely prescribed and considered to have a high potential to be abused are oxycodone and Vicodin. These two drugs are prescribed most often for injuries,

In the United States of America, there is prescription drug abuse epidemic that continues to be a growing concern. Prescription drugs cause a large amount of overdoses and result in an abundant amount of deaths each year. A government study conducted shows this epidemic is scarily on the rise, “A recent government study found a 400% increase in prescription drug abuse between 1998 and 2008” (Schreiner 531). The excessive use of prescription drug abuse is leading to nonmedical use of the drugs, and creating addiction. Furthermore society is paying an extreme amount of money in this battle. With this drug abuse on the rise, legislators must create a law preventing doctors and pharmacists from over prescribing prescription medications as well a law to require they both participate in drug monitoring programs to prevent drug abuse. Now is the time that doctors and the pharmaceutical industry must be held accountable for their role in causing one of America’s worst addictions. The over medication of prescription drugs in the United States must be brought to an end by legislators creating laws to stop

Drug addiction is a complex problem in society today. Addiction is a condition that extremely affects the person’s mind and body. Addiction also has wide sweeping effects on that person’s social connection and functioning. Unfortunately, many addicts don’t realize the social influence of their addiction until much of their functioning has greatly deteriorated.