Prescribing a Drug Problem (Part 2)
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So, we already discussed how you can become addicted to prescribed medications. Now, let’s take a look at who is abusing these drugs and what the most commonly used drugs are.
Who Is Abusing Prescribed Medications?
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a random sample of U.S. households in a 2004 survey revealed that an estimated 19.1 million Americans ages 12 and older used illicit drugs. The rate of illicit drug use among youth was 10.6 percent. Additionally, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the number of people who had used pain relievers non-medically at least once during their lifetime increased 7 percent between 2002 and 2004, affecting 31.8 million Americans.
What Drugs are Being Abused?
The types of prescription drugs that are most commonly abused fall into three categories: opioids, central nervous system depressants (CNS), and stimulants. A breakdown of each category is as follows:
- Opioids: include drugs such as Oxycodone (Oxycontin), hydrocodone (Vicodin), and meperidine (Demerol). These types of drugs are used to mostly to treat pain and can also relieve coughs and diarrhea.
- CNS: include drugs such as Pentobarbital sodium (Nembutal), diazepam (Valium), and alprazolam (Xanax). These are used to treat stress disorders such as anxiety attacks, sleep disorders as well as panic attacks.
- Stimulants: Some examples of these include Methylphenidate (Ritalin), amphetamine/dextroamphetamine (Adderall), and atomoxetine (Strattera). Stimulants are usually used to treat things like ADHD, asthma, depression, narcolepsy and sometimes obesity.
Consequences for abusing prescribed medications can lead to such things as: heart failure, stroke, increased blood pressure and hallucinations.
Prevention is Better Than Cure:
In order to avoid becoming addicted to prescribed medication, you should always make sure you keep your doctor’s appointments. Doing so will allow your doctor to monitor your health more accurately and pick up on any changes to your health. You should also try to keep a journal of how you feel when you’re taking the medication. Make note of any strange feelings associated with it. Lastly, don’t make any changes to the dosage of your medication without asking your doctor first. For example, don’t increase the amount of painkiller pills you take because you are in pain. Always ask your doctor first.
If you know someone who is addicted to drugs and would like more information on drug and alcohol rehab programs, contact Mark Houston Recovery today.
Please visit the following pages on the Mark Houston Website:
Drug Addiction Rehab Center in Houston, Texas
Drug Relapse Prevention in Houston, Texas
Alcohol Addiction Rehab Center in Plano, Texas
Alcohol Relapse Prevention in Plano, Texas
[...] the fact that when you go to pick up your prescription at the pharmacy that they might be prescribing you a drug problem in the future? This is a very real and very serious issue facing many doctors and patients [...]