|
Prescription Drug Addiction Drug
Rehab
Prescription drugs make complex surgery possible,
relieve pain for millions of people, and enable many individuals with chronic
medical conditions to control their symptoms and lead productive lives. Most
people who take prescription medications use them responsibly. However, the
non-medical use of prescription drugs is a serious public health concern.
Nonmedical use of prescription drugs like opioids, central nervous system (CNS)
depressants, and stimulants can lead to abuse and addiction, characterized by
compulsive drug seeking and use.
Addiction rarely occurs among people
who use a pain reliever, CNS depressant, or stimulant as prescribed; however,
inappropriate use of prescription drugs can lead to addiction in some cases.
Patients, healthcare professionals, and pharmacists all have roles in
preventing misuse and addiction. For example, if a doctor prescribes a pain
medication, CNS depressant, or stimulant, the patient should follow the
directions for use carefully, and also learn what effects the drug could have
and potential interactions with other drugs by reading all information provided
by the pharmacist. Physicians and other health care providers should screen for
any type of substance abuse during routine history-taking with questions about
what prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines the patient is taking and
why.
Trends in Prescription Drug Abuse
In 1999, an estimated 4 million people, about 2 percent of the population
age 12 and older, were currently (use in past month) using prescription drugs
non-medically. Of these, 2.6 million misused pain relievers, 1.3 million
misused sedatives and tranquilizers, and 0.9 million misused stimulants.1 While
prescription drug abuse affects many Americans, some trends of particular
concern can be seen among older adults, adolescents, and women.
The misuse
of prescribed medications may be the most common form of drug abuse among the
elderly. Older people are prescribed medications about three times more
frequently than the general population, and have poorer compliance with
directions for use.
The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse1 numbers
indicate that the sharpest increases in new users of prescription drugs for
non-medical purposes occur in 12 to 17 and 18 to 25 year-olds. Among 12 to 14
year-olds, psychotherapeutics (e.g., pain killers, tranquilizers, sedatives,
and stimulants) were reported to be one of two primary drugs used.
The 1999
Monitoring the Future Survey2 of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders nationwide, showed
that for barbiturates, tranquilizers, and narcotics other than heroin, general
long-term declines in use in the 1980s leveled-off in the early 1990s, with
modest increases again in the mid-1990s.
Overall, men and women have
roughly similar rates of nonmedical use of prescription drugs, with the
exception of 12 to 17 year olds. In this age group, young women are more likely
than young men to use psychotherapeutic drugs nonmedically. Also, among women
and men who use either a sedative, anti-anxiety drug, or hypnotic, women are
almost twice as likely to become addicted.3
The Drug Abuse Warning
Network,4 which collects data on drug-related hospital emergency room episodes,
reported that mentions of hydrocodone as a cause for visiting an emergency room
increased 37 percent among all age groups from 1997 to 1999. Also, mentions of
clonazepam increased 102 percent since 1992. |
Home
Copyright © National
Drug Rehab Referral Alliance, All Rights Reserved |