Prescription Medication Abuse

A prescription drug is also referred to as a prescription medicine or medication, and it is a pharmaceutical drug that is legally prescribed by a medical professional. The Drug Enforcement Agency describes a prescription drug as a drug that is dispensed to pharmacist only with the authorization of a healthcare practitioner. In contrast, over-the-counter drugs can be obtained without a prescription. Most prescription drugs are safe and effective but only when used for medical purposes and under a doctor’s or a medical practitioner’s prescription. They can have adverse effects on an individual when abused (ASAM, 2016). The main effects of abusing prescription drugs include addiction and death. Prescription drugs are the third most commonly abused category of drugs after alcohol and marijuana but in front of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine. A large percentage of these drugs can be addictive especially when abused.

The prescription drugs that are most commonly abused fall in three categories, namely: opioids, depressants, and stimulants. Opioids are a group of prescription drugs that relieve pain, for example, Vicodin, OxyContin, and codeine. Abusing opioids can result in severe respiratory problems or addiction or to the extreme, death. Stimulants, on the other hand, are drugs that increase attention and alertness and in most cases are used for treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). They include drugs such as Ritalin and Adderall. The effects of abusing stimulants include irregular heartbeat, paranoia, addiction and increased body temperatures (DEA, n.d). Depressants are drugs or substances that are capable of slowing down brain activity such as Valium, or Xanax which help someone to sleep and benzodiazepines used to relieve anxiety. The effects of abusing depressants include excessive sleep, nausea, addiction, impaired mental functioning and blurred vision.

Several activities indicate that an individual is misusing prescription drugs. They include: taking more than the prescribed dose of a prescription drug; deliberate poisoning using a pharmaceutical by someone who has malicious reasons, taking a drug that was prescribed for someone else or taking drugs that has been acquired illegally or without a legitimate prescription; or any use of a prescription drug, an over the counter drugs that has been documented as a misuse or abuse by prominent medicine boards.

The abuse of prescription drugs in the U.S dates back to more than a century ago when the abuse was mainly that of laudanum, a mixture of opium and alcohol. This was an ancient treatment for pain, cough, anxiety, sleeplessness and diarrhea. In the 1800s, laudanum was used by doctors but it was found to be highly addictive. The abuse of opioids together with prescription painkillers and drugs such as heroin came into the limelight in the 1900s (Moghe, 2016, Oct. 16). The commercial production of morphine began in Germany before spreading to American during the American civil war in the early 1900s. At first, it was used for the treatment of injuries as painkillers, and then the civil war veterans became hooked on opioids at the turn of the century. Kimberly Johnson, the director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, commented on the initial use of opioids that in the early 1900s, little was known about these poppy derivatives. He said, “Drugs like heroin were used as cough suppressants” (Narconon. (n.d)

In 1898, the Bayer Co. began the commercial production of another opioid, heroin. At first, heroin was considered a “wonder drug” and its use became more intensified when its users discovered that its effects could be amplified when injected. By 1920s, doctors had become aware of the highly addictive nature of opioids and were trying to avoid treating patients with them. In 1924, heroin was illegalized. By 1970s, drug use in the U.S was a national disaster leading to the foundation of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Customs Service with the aim of nabbing drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, and heroin. During the same period, Percocet and Vicodin were discovered. And though doctors had long been told not to prescribe opioids to patients due to its addictive nature, they could not fully avoid using them especially when someone was under chronic pain, and this is how addiction and later abuse of opioids especially heroin began (Moghe, 2016, Oct. 16).

Opioids are one of the leading drugs in drug-related deaths in the U.S. In 2015 alone, 12,990 deaths were recorded about an overdose of heroin. Overall, opioids were responsible for more than 33,000 deaths the same year, the highest that has ever been recorded. From 2002 to 2014, the death toll was from 2,000 and rose steadily to 20,000 then hit the highest of about 33,000 in 2015. In Europe, opiates, mainly heroin, are involved in four of every five drug-related deaths (ASAM, 2016).

Since prescription drugs are legal, it means that they are easily accessible. Parents, the medical community, law enforcers, educators and all levels of the government have a role to play in controlling or limiting the non-medical use of prescription drugs. This strategy is helpful for teens who can easily be swayed by peer pressure to start abusing drugs (Subcommittee, 2013). For the general public, preventing prescription drug abuse can be as simple as locking up medications when not in use. Also, never share your medications with others for any reason. According to several studies, the most effective prevention strategy is to develop skills and good intentions of acting in a healthy manner.

GenerationRx.org has some simple guidelines to help prevent prescription drug misuse:

• Only use prescription medications as directed by a health professional.

• Never share your prescription medications with others or use someone else’s prescription medications.

• Always store your medications securely to prevent others from taking them, and properly dispose of medications that you no longer need.

• Be a good example to those around you by modeling these safe medication-taking practices and discussing the dangers of misusing prescription drugs with your family, friends, colleagues, students, or patients.

How to Store Medications when prescribed a prescription medication…

• Store medications in secure locations such as:

• Lock-boxes

• Medication safes

• Or other lockable spaces

• Avoid storage places where children and others can easily access, such as:

• Drawers

• Nightstands

• Or kitchen cabinets

If you or someone you know needs to talk to someone about health risk related to medicine abuse, reach out to the professionals at PEER Services, 847-492-1778, www.peerservices.org

References

American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). 2016. Opioid Addiction – 2016 Facts & Figures Retrieved from. http://www.asam.org/docs/default-source/advocacy/opioid-addiction-disease-facts-figures.pdf

Boyd, C. J., McCabe, S. E., Cranford, J. A., & Young, A. (2006). Adolescents’ Motivations to Abuse Prescription Medications. Pediatrics, 118(6), 2472–2480. http://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2006-1644

DEA (n.d) Prescription for Disaster: How Teens Abuse Medicine. Retrieved from https://www.dea.gov/pr/multimedia-library/publications/DEA_Prescription-For-Disaster_508ver.pdf

Foundation for a Drug-Free World (2017). HEROIN: WHAT IS IT?. Retrieved from http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/heroin.html

Moghe, S.(2016, Oct. 16) Opioid history: From 'wonder drug' to abuse epidemic. CNN. Retrieved from http://edition.cnn.com/2016/05/12/health/opioid-addiction-history/

Narconon. (n.d) Prescription Drug Abuse History. Retrieved from http://www.narconon.org/drug-abuse/prescription-drug-history.html

National Council of Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) (2015, June 28) PRESCRIPTION DRUGS. Retrieved from https://www.ncadd.org/about-addiction/drugs/prescription-drugs

Subcommittee, P. D. A. (2013). Addressing Prescription Drug Abuse in the United States: Current Activities and Future Opportunities. Retrieved from. https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/pdf/hhs_prescription_drug_abuse_report_09.2013.pdf