Pros And Cons Of Drug Use Prescriptions

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

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.

The misuse and abuse of prescription medications in the United States remains high, but few people are aware of just how big the problem really is. According to ASAM American Society of Addiction Medicine, "Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the US, with 55,403 lethal drug overdoses in 2015. Opioid addiction is causing this epidemic, with 20,101 overdose deaths related to prescription pain relievers, and also overdose deaths relating to heroin". Opioids are drugs which are prescribed to relieve pain. With continued use, the pain-relieving effects lessen and pain can become worse, so the body can develop dependence on the use of opioid. Opioid dependence causes withdrawal symptoms, which makes it difficult to stop taking

Prescription drug abuse is not a new problem within our society. Prescription drug abuse has in fact been an ongoing problem that is currently spinning out of control. There are many people within our society that are currently dealing with prescription drug addiction. Prescription drug abuse is the intentional use of a medication without a prescription; in a way other than as prescribed; or for the experience or feeling it causes (The Science of Drug Abuse & Addiction, 2014). Prescription drugs are developed to assist with various medical problems, and when prescribed by a medical professional are helpful for patients. The using prescriptions for those other than intended for may cause a number of serious issues

The United States should decriminalize drugs because it would keep people out of jail and stop overcrowding of jails, there are people with worst crimes that should be in jail. It will also stop wasting the taxpayers money, and it could increase the economy, also some states have already legalized drugs and the banning of drugs isn’t effective.

The earliest human records attest to the fact that human beings have been using addictive narcotics since we were hunter-gatherers. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, physicians prescribed drugs like opium, morphine, cocaine and even heroin in the United States. (Crocq 355) Currently, these substances are either highly regulated or they are outright illegal. The irony here is that the the largest pharmaceutical companies or Big Pharma as they are better known, are selling the general public narcotics that are just as addictive and harmful as what the many gangs in the United States are selling to their customer base. The last statement may sound extreme, however, the third leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer are prescription drugs both in the United States and in Europe. (Gotzche 628) Unfortunately, these pharmaceutical companies are not satisfied with just making us addicts, they are also bankrupting the American consumer and our health care system. The statistics of deaths and the criminal practices of these pharmaceutical companies are distressing, however, it is not surprising since their main objective is to maximize profits. First, let us take a look at some of the offenders.

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

Addiction to prescription drugs is so important to take control of because it does not have a demographic. Anyone from a child to a grown adult can experiment with and become addicted to prescription drugs for any amount of reasoning. More thorough education amongst youth would be a great starting point to limiting the amount of the next generation would be come addicted to prescription drugs. Better treatment centers and counseling centers would also prove to be very important. Requiring health insurance care providers provide coverage in their policies for the treatment and counseling for those who have become addicted and need help. And lastly, holding doctors more responsible for participating in and further developing the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program to catch possible cases before they become an

Prescription painkiller addiction has become one of the fastest growing addictions in the country(drugaddictiontreatment.com). Since 1990, deaths in the US from unintentional drug overdoses have increased by over 500% (ideas.time.com). People have been using painkillers as drugs because they believe it is safer than using illegal street drugs. Pain is a hard thing to manage because everyone has a different pain tolerance. There is a responsibility between both physicians and patients to use it properly to cause both to be at fault for overdose.

Although not everything is bad about prescribed medication. There are some positive effects to go with taking prescribed medication. One of them is that when you take physician endorsed medications, they can frequently be the response forever undermining conditions including hypertension, elevated cholesterol or much malignancy. These medications fortify and imitate a well-working body, so there are various individuals whose lives are spared every day on account of doctor prescribed medications. Without them, they would have a lower personal satisfaction and even hazard demise. Not all medications are utilized to treat genuine illnesses. Some treat little illnesses every once in a while with extraordinary achievement. Anti-toxins for diseases,

When an individual walks into a doctor's office they expect to receive treatment for his or her ailment and walk out. In a few weeks with proper rest and medication, the person is back to normal, except the person is not. The pain, never-ceasing, the patient is forced to live the remainder of his or her's life on prescription drugs. The blame should not be placed on the doctor, but rather the pharmaceutical industry. Profiting on system preservation and disease control, these companies are creating addictions by treating a patient with a disease that was never resolved. Once healers now stealers, pharmaceutical companies' are prescription thugs.

Many people in America have overdosed on prescription drugs just by abusing them. Prescription drugs that are prescribed and sold in the United States has quadrupled the years. As a result of over prescribing leads to more abuse in the medication and/or more overdose deaths in America. But, however certain people may still need the medication to live and have a well functioning body but still abuse their prescription by taking more than instructed too and end up overdosing in the process of abuse. Many people in America don't even have to have the medication to be prescribed to them, some people just sell their prescription to random in their in the need of cash or if the other just wants something to make them feel good or relaxed. After just buying one pill, the buyer will the need to have more than just one pill, so they'll grow and addiction and start taking more than one at a time, which will lead to their

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).

Over the counter medications can be had for fractions of the cost of prescription medications. This is a wonderful but yet effective alternative to paying for the prescription drug. Nonprescription Aleve is a fraction of the cost of the prescription equivalent Naprosyn, only in a smaller dose but yet still very effective (WebMD). Many times, there are several suppliers of the same over the counter medicine, driving the price down because of the competition. On the other hand, prescription drugs are usually made by a single company because of patents on the propriety ingredients and formulations in the medication. This limits the supply and drives the price up. Prescription does not always mean better. Consult with your doctor to see if there