Prescription Drug Abuse

One in three Americans are prescribed opioids from their doctor. Once someone is prescribed a medication and take it daily, as told to do so by the doctor, it is extremely easy to become dependent on the pills. Dependency on a drug means that the body physically craves it and may experience withdrawals when the prescription is stopped. Addiction characterizes as a mental need for the drug. The behavior changes and abusing the medication will begin.

To illustrate the magnitude of the research problem and provide a frame of reference, this section begins with a brief overview of the increased use of pharmaceuticals and prescription drug abuse in the US. The section continues with the relationship between illicit drugs and prescriptions, adolescents’ abuse, personal and social factors; then concludes with the theoretical approach. The Social-Ecological Theory, will be applied in researching prescription drug abuse, possible influences and protective factors in adolescents in relation to prescription drug abuse, to develop focused intervention strategies and educational programs for this population, similar to other substances such as tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana.

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).

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

Many people have developed an addiction due to an injury and which were prescribed painkillers to manage and treat the pain. Prolonged use leads to dependence and once a person is addicted, increasing amounts of drugs are required to prevent feeling of withdrawal. Addiction to painkillers often leads to harder drugs such as heroin due to the black market drug being cheaper. Prescription drugs remain a far deadlier problem and more people abuse prescription medication than cocaine, methamphetamine heroin, MDMA and PCP combined. Drug abuse is ending too many lives too soon and destroying families and communities.

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.

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

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

Prescribed medication is on the rise in the United States. Particularly among the elderly as they are more inclined to be taking medications. According to the textbook, about thirty percent of people who are sixty-five or older take eight or more prescriptions daily. (Snyder, 62) With that comes an increase in medication misuse and abuse. The difference between the two has to do with the intentions or motivations the person has. Medication misuse is an unintentional or willful use of a medication in a way that differs from prescribed dose or intent. (Snyder, 61) The first example found in the textbook includes taking several unused antibiotics for strep throat from last years prescription, thinking the sore throat is strep throat. The second example is a person who takes a double dose of Tylenol, thinking the higher dose will clear the symptoms faster. The last example from the book is failing to take entire course of antibiotics prescribed for them. (Snyder, 61) On the other hand, medication abuse is deliberately taking a drug for non-medical reason. For example, taking a prescription medicine that was prescribed to someone else, taking the medicine in a different form such as snorting it, or taking a certain medicine with the intent to get high. Both medication abuse and misuse in the elderly population is of concern on the grounds that it can bring mental and physical debilitation. Older people misusing or abusing medications puts them at greater danger and may lead to

This was a vicious cycle then and still is a vicious cycle now. With doctors handing out prescriptions, such as opiates nonchalantly to patients that have minor conditions such as a pulled muscle, it is more than likely fueling drug abuse like gasoline to a fire. Although, if someone has ever had to receive medication that requires more effort than grabbing it off of the convenience store shelf, realize that pharmacists now cannot legally distribute prescription medication without one 's’ personal prescription. The Encyclopedia of Alcohol and Drugs in North America also notes that Vicodin and Xanax earn the title as two of the most commonly prescribed drugs distributed by doctors and also reside as the most commonly abused prescription drugs in United States.

Illicit drugs are not the only problem. Studies have shown that prescription drug addiction is also on the rise. Opiates, which are medications prescribed to reduce pain, are among the most addictive prescription drugs.

Drug abuse is the habitual taking of addictive or illegal drugs. Many college students rule out prescription drugs because they feel that they are neither addictive nor illegal. Prescription drugs are both. Not only are they addictive to the people that are required to take them, but also they are even more addictive for students who they are not prescribed to. When prescription drugs are obtained without consent from a doctor, it is considered illegal. Many college students try to take short cuts in life without realizing the extent of the consequences that their actions may hold.

The second most commonly abused prescribed drug is sedatives/depressants. These types of pills are used for anxiety and sleeping. If these types of prescriptions are abused it can make the person really high and not remember what they are doing. Signs can be excessive sleepiness, slurred speech, and acting really mean (Davis).people usually look for this kind of drug because they are depressed and the want to try to hide something in their life. This drug slows down the heartbeat so if someone takes to many it can cause their heart to stop. The two most commonly abuse depressants are valium and

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.

Now that we know all about Pharmacists, let's get to know the problem: prescription drugs. Some prescription drugs have mind-altering affects on the body, and for that reason are abused. People abuse drugs by taking them for reasons other than prescribed by the