Prescription Abuse
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General Information
While prescription drugs are made with the intention to ease pain after a medical procedure or for relief of a nagging ache, more and more people are perverting and abusing their good nature. Their easy access and social acceptance allows users to feel less illicit about their addiction. Tactics have been derived and schemes set in place for users to get their hands on their drug of choice. Many subject themselves to doctor shopping, prescription forgery, illicit prescribing, drug theft, Medicaid fraud, Internet pharmacies, and “pharming.”2 Regardless of their methods, the abuse of prescription drugs is on the rise among Americans.
Specifically, recent data has shown that women are at a higher risk then men for the abuse “of non-medical use of prescription opioids during the ages of 12-17 years.”4 Another highly targeted age group of prescription drug abusers are the elderly. “This is due in part to more frequent illnesses among the elderly population as well as the likelihood of multiple illnesses.”3 These groups however, are not the only people at risk of addiction. Today, 1.3 million people, 12 years of age and older, suffer from daily use of prescription drugs.2 Claudia Kalb, author of “Playing With Pain Killers,” claims that, “In this environment, pharmaceutical companies are experimenting with new formulations of painkillers, and existing painkillers themselves are more widely distributed than ever before. While the pharmaceutical market doubled to $145 billion between 1996 and 2000, the pain- killer market tripled to $1.8 billion over the same period. Yet at the same time, the incidence of reported first-time abuse of painkillers has also surged."1 As the amount of pharmaceutical drugs expands, so does the number of abusers.
The availability and high priority within society leaves little shadow for these drugs to hide. It has also been reported that on an annual basis the use of tranquilizers has risen by 2.2 million, sedatives 225,000, stimulants 761,000, and others by 2.2 million.2 Satish Kedia, PhD, concluded that as a result of escalading users, “ER visits related to oxycodone increased over 352%, and hydrocodone-related visits rose by over 131%."2 Pharmaceutical abuse is also causing concern to recognize the lead-in to other drugs. It opens the door for many abusers to also dabble in alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs. Statistics show that 63% of pharmaceutical abusers also misuse marijuana while 5% frequent other dangerous prescription medicines such as OxyContin.2
Abusers of pharmaceutical drugs crave the side effects that accompany them. Painkillers such as Darron, Demerol, Dilaudid, OxyContin, Vicodin, and Percadan dull the senses, induce drowsiness and create a general sense of well-being.1 Painkillers, such as these, attach to receptors found in your spinal cord and connect to it thus, blocking your nerves from receiving the signal of pain. By blocking the pain, a sense of euphoria and easement is created.1 Tranquilizers and stimulants are also found desirable to many abusers. Ativan, Valium, Librium, Rohyphol, and Xanax are tranquilizers that reduce stress, anxiety, and relax muscles. Stimulants, on the other hand, such as Adderall, Dexedrine, Preludin, and Ritalin are used to increase alertness, energy and attention span. They are also used to treat sleeping disorders, hyperactivity, and obesity.1
Although pharmaceutical drugs do not seem as dangerous as those of an illicit
nature, they hold the same magnitude and severity. Careful precautions should always be taken when prescribed these medications and dependency should be treated immediately.
Prevention Strategies
Consumption Measures
Below are some common prescription drugs of abuse. Please help to add additional drugs below:
Consequences of Drinking and Prescription Drugs
The consequences of mixing alcohol and prescription drugs can lead to excessive intoxication, bad behavior and even death. Excessive drinking can be found virtually on any college campus. If a college student is also taking strong, prescription drugs, this combination can lead to some devastating conditions. When taking a prescription drug and drinking alcohol, a person might be unaware of the possible interactions of both substances. A person might even think that if alcohol can cause you to feel good and relax, then adding a drug such as valium or Prozac will make you feel even more calm and relaxed. However, instead of doubling the effect of calmness and relaxation, the effects of mixing a drug with alcohol can cause very unpredictable results. To understand how drugs and alcohol interact, it is important to know where these go once they enter your body. Usually, a drug will travel through the bloodstream to the part of the body it is designated to heal or change. Once the drug reaches its destination, it begins to break down and ultimately leaves the body. Alcohol does much the same thing. It also travels by way of the bloodstream and affects the organs in your body. It travels to the brain and causes intoxication. The liver plays the biggest part in breaking down both alcohol and most drugs. It takes the liver about one hour to break down one alcoholic drink. If you have also taken a prescribed drug, this slows down that breakdown because the liver needs to work twice as hard. Drinking alcohol can also make some drugs become toxic and then damage the liver and other organs.
There are some specific prescription drugs which should never be mixed with alcohol. Tranquilizers, such as valium, are prescribed for anxiety and insomnia. So, these drugs are like a sedative. When they are mixed with alcohol, they can cause extreme drowsiness. This, of course, can lead to behavior that increases your risk of accidents. This combination is very dangerous if you choose to drive. Antidepressant drugs, such as Prozac, also should never be mixed with alcohol. When mixed, the alcohol's affect is heightened because the drug has depressed the central nervous system. The mixing also multiplies the effects of the alcohol causing a person to become very intoxicated. (Babbit)
Statistics about the high risk of college drinking are both scary and alarming. There are 1,700 college student deaths each year from alcohol-related injuries. There are 696,000 assaults that occur from a person being drunk. More than 97,000 sexual assault cases are reported from alcohol abuse. Over 400,000 cases of unprotected sex have been reported due to alcohol involvement. There were 2.1 million cases of drunk driving reported last year among college students. Between 1.2 and 1.5 percent of all college students who got drunk reported suicidal attempts. (www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov) College students drink to have a good time with friends, but no one wants to spend time vomiting, getting arrested, or going to an emergency room. Mixing any prescription drug with alcohol can lead to any of these unpleasant experiences.
References
1Kalb, Claudia. "Playing With Pain Killers." Newsweek April 9, 2001 April 9, 2001. 02/21/2008 <http://www.dushkin.com/text-data/articles/30016/body.pdf>.
2Kedia, Satish, PhD. "Prescription Drug Abuse: A Public Health Issue in Tennessee." 2, 22007 1-4. 02/21/2008 <http://www.isate.memphis.edu/Reports/PrescriptionDrugs.pdf>.
3Morgan, Martha, and Whitney A. Brosi. "Prescription Drug Abuse Among Older Audlts: A family ecological case study.." Journal of applied Gerontology 26(November 2007): 419-432.
4Tetrault, Jeanette M, Rani A Desai, Willaim C Becker, and David A Fiellin. "Gender and non-medical use of prescription opioids: results from a national US survey." Addiction. 103(Feb 2008): Pg.258.
Babbit, Nikki (2000). Adolescent Drug and Alcohol Abuse: How to Spot It, Stop It, and Get Help for Your Family. O�Reilly & Associate, Cleveland, OH. P.253
College Drinking Prevention. (2007) www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov. Retrieved
May 4, 2007.
Moore, Thomas (1998). Prescription for Disaster. Simon & Schuster, New York, NY,
P. 220-221.
Youngerman-Cole, S. (April 27, 2005). Alcohol and Drug Problems,
www.peacehealth.org, Retrieved May 4, 2007.
