Prescription Drug Abuse Case Study

Opioids are being over prescribed in the United States resulting in increased deaths by drug overdose. Pain medication strategies are being looked into as substitutes for pain management. Over decades, the amount of medicine being prescribed has more than tripled. State policies regarding the medication were implemented and who'd a small decrease in the likelihood of opioid prescriptions. Nationally, death rates are on the rise. Studies monitoring prescription drugs do not account for illegal opioids and manufactured fentanyl. While not mentioned in this article, there is a possible correlation between young people prescribed opioids and illegal drug use seeing that overdoses are common in patients already abusing their prescription medication, yet overdose death being most common after

An epidemic is on the rise and is hitting closer to home than one may expect. From the hospitals to the pharmacies and the medicine cabinets of many Americans, the damage prescription opioids are causing have been detrimental. Prescription opioids being medication that is meant to alleviate extreme pain, has induced more damage into the users life with its controversial side effects, and death in an abundant amount of cases. The issue revolving around prescription opioids does not just stay within the parameters of the dangerous medicine itself, but in addition the expansion of loose laws and corruption within the medical industry. This rise in the prescription opioid epidemic has been created by a contribution of physicians, pharmaceutical industry and a misconception of the medicine in the eye of the public. Even with all these factors in play, there is still hope to bring an end to the prescription opioid drug ring, with the combination of current laws and hopeful laws and restrictions in the future. The epidemic of prescription opioids has gone on for far too long and has caused an obscene amount of critical damage to the lives of many for the issue to be ignored any longer. Usage of prescription opioids must be reduced to ensure the safety of patients and to stop further abuse and death.

Opioid abuse is a growing epidemic within the United States. Not only are people abusing the prescription forms of opioids (such as oxycodone - OxyContin, hydrocodone - Vicodin, codeine, and morphine) by taking more than they are supposed to, but they are also being bought, sold, and used on the streets illegally; such as heroin. Opioids are highly addicting because of the high they can induce in a person, causing a dependence and yearning for continued use (NIDA, n.d.) In 2007, the United States was responsible for over 99 percent of the global consumption of hydrocodone and 83 percent of the global consumption of oxycodone (United Nations Publications, 2009).

Opioid abuse is deadly and silently decimating families across the country. It is legally used for a medication to treat severe pain but commonly used for patients after they come out of a surgery.The Opioid epidemic is a national health issue that needs to be addressed, and made a widespread topic of discussion.

It is likely that at some point in a person’s life it will be necessary to obtain medical assistance due to a chronic illness, injury, or sudden accident that requires a physician’s diagnosis and perhaps prescription medication. Although this very routine happening may be necessary, and at times critical, the adverse effects of taking prescription drugs that contain opioids can lead to an addiction, possible overdose, and death. The research contained continues the debated topic focusing on the connection between heroin addiction and massive numbers of people who developed a dependency after taking legally prescribed opioid pain medicine. The topic will be

Since the 1960’s heroin use disorders has become worse when pertaining to societal issues since Heroin an opioid drug made from morphine, which is a natural substance this various opium poppy plant is highly addictive. Heroin may be smoked, snorted, or injected, the reason for this use has increased across the United States particularly amongst gender, various age groups, and typically all income levels through legal and illegal purchase of this drug. Several dynamics contribute to the severity of the recent societal prescription drug abuse which is problematic from a global perspective. Basically the number of prescriptions written by physicians that’s distributed to patients. Partaking in countless social acceptability of using medications

It’s safe to say that our nation’s drug problem has fiercely progressed. According to the National Institute of Drug on Drug Abuse (2014), prescription drug abuse is a problem. People abuse prescription drugs for a variety of reasons.There’s an epidemic of abuse of prescription Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) medications, such as Adderall (a chemical compound of amphetamine and dextroamphetamine used to treat ADHD) -that affects everyone ranging from college students to soccer moms. According the the American Psychiatric Association (2013) defines ADHD as “the essential feature of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity -impulsivity that interferes with functioning

Prescription drug abuse has become increasingly prevalent among teens in the county. There has been an increase in the abuse of prescription drugs for a number of reasons. Some individuals who misuse prescription drugs believe they are safer than other illicit drugs because they are prescribed by a healthcare professional and dispensed by a pharmacist. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has classified this prescription drug abuse as an epidemic. More and more teens are becoming addicted to these substances and the epidemic is only growing.

Mr. Smith is a 34 year old male who presented to the ED with feelings of dehydration, weakness, nausea, and suicidal ideation with a plan to stab himself with a knife. He denies prior attempts of harming himself. He reports currently not on any medications. Dr. Osborne requested a mental health assessment. Prior to mental health assessment this clinician spoke to Diann, the clinician who assessed Mr. Smith on 6/2/17. She reports he reported to her this morning, he was recently released from Rowan 2 days ago and since then has been homeless. He presented guarded and making conflicting statements about mental health history and substance abuse history. At the time of the assessment Mr. Smith appears guarded with a flat affect. He reports 2 days

My brochure is meant to bring awareness to the options for help with battling a prescription opioid drug abuse. I created this brochure because I know that North Carolina has a problem with prescription drug abuse; I found that the rate of overdoses have been increasing. I chose to start my opening panel with a hook in order to draw attention. I found the image first of a person holding bars made of different pills. That image gave me the idea of comparing drug dependence to a life sentence because people end up staying dependent on opioids for their life or in some cases, die after an overdose.

Layla is in and out of the home of Megan (aunt). Brandon is Meagan’s son. Layla’s mother, Tiffany, is a drug addict and she is in and out of jail every few months. Tiffany abuses various drugs. Meagan is being physically abused in the home by her boyfriend, William. William has abused Meagan several times within the last few months. Meagan has been to the hospital as well from the abuse. Meagan is about 3 months pregnant as well. It is unknown if she has had complications with her pregnancy because of the abuse. William is suspected to be abusing various drugs, because he has a history of drug abuse. It is unknown if drugs are done around the children, and it is unknown if he is high around the children. It is unknown if the children have been

Prescription drug abuse has reached epidemic proportions. President Trump has deemed the United States addiction to prescription opiates a national crisis (Dye). Recent estimates suggest nearly two percent of Americans have at one time abused prescription medication. Prescription drug addiction results in families torn apart, many lives destroyed, and in too many cases, death. Some people think that by solely focusing on prescription drug abuse, physicians may steer clear from prescribing necessary medications for patients who need them. This thinking could not be further from the truth. Physicians’ focus on responsibly prescribing opioids is changing, and as scary as it seems, many physicians wrestle with how they can prescribe certain medications so that their patients are relieved of pain without becoming addicted to that drug. It is a perplexing problem for our country’s physicians. With over 2.6 million people addicted to opioids, including heroin, fentanyl, and oxycodone, the grim face of the nation’s opioid epidemic is a societal nightmare (Nolan). "Fatal opiate overdoses have now surpassed automobile accidents as the number one cause of accidental deaths in this country today" (Trump). Everyone is playing the blame game as to the epidemic's causes and solutions. The number one target is America’s physicians. Although they hold the keys to prescribing these prescriptions, this crisis by no means can be corrected solely by them. A multidisciplinary approach,

It doesn’t take extensive research to understand that prescription drug abuse is increasingly affecting our lives and our society. Prescription drug abuse is currently a severe public health problem. Drug overdose is one of the leading causes of death and is often perceived as a larger threat than other accidental deaths because the threat, prescription drugs, are often kept inside the home. They can be obtained from the pharmacy or medicine cabinet, so they may appear safer than they truly are. According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2015, 12.5 million people misused prescription opioids1. This number doesn’t take into account the non-opioid prescription abuse that is occurring. In June of this year, the FDA announced it would be taking increasingly forceful steps to combat opioid crisis. In addition to opioids, depressants, which treat anxiety and sleep disorders such as Valium and Xanax also have a high rate of abuse, as well as stimulants which treat ADHD and ADD such as Adderall, and Ritalin4. The current rates of opioid abuse fail to include these additional medications with high potential to be abused that also make up a large portion of abuse in prescription drugs. In this paper, I will be outlining several key points that deal with substance abuse. I will be focusing on prescription substance abuse more specifically and how it seems to relate to social and behavioral outcomes as a whole.

The prevalence of prescription drug abuse has reached an epidemic level in the United States (US). According to the National survey on drug use and health, more than 16.7 million people age of 12 and older in the US abused prescription drugs in 2012 and approximately 2.1 million people met criteria for a diagnosis of a substance use disorder related to prescription drugs. Treatment admissions related to substance use disorder services for prescription opioids alone increased more than 5-fold from 2000 to 2010 in the U.S. Opioids are the most commonly abused prescription drug and is the largest contributor to drug abuse. The increasing use of prescription drug has increased the prescription of these medications. In 2012, 259 million opioid prescriptions were written for adults in the US (McHugh, Nielsen, & Weiss, 2015). The total cost of substance use to federal, state, and local governments is estimated as 467.7 billion dollar per year. Drug abuse or misuse of prescription drug occur in all ages. According to the experts, as the population ages, the drug abuse among the elderly will also increase significantly (Oliver et al., 2012). Prescription drug that are abused comes from different sources such as prescription received from a doctor, from friends and family, or purchase through illicit drug markets. There are a number reason for abusing prescription drugs includes, getting high, regulating pain and negative affect, and improving sleep. In adults, although the primary

Drug addiction is a problem that has become a major issue in today’s society. Prescription drugs make it easy to treat everything from common cold symptoms to mental health problems and everything in between; however, the general public is constantly receiving mixed messages about the evils of drug use. The pharmaceutical industry brings in millions of dollars each year through aggressive advertising promising the positive results of drugs with minimal side effects. Of course, prescription drugs can be very effective in treating illnesses, but overuse or abuse of any drug can lead to dependence and serious addiction. Opioid drugs, for example, have been over-prescribed for pain relief purposes and abused recreationally for many years. The opioid epidemic has since emerged as one of the worst drug crises in American history. Easy access to opiates and the feelings these drugs can produce has caused an addiction epidemic. More commonly known as “The Opioid Crisis”, this issue has a tight grip on our society. The epidemic has become one of the most pressing public health concerns and will take a collaboration of medical professionals, health care services, and the patients themselves to find an answer to opioid addiction affecting our nation today.