Addiction to Prescription Drugs
Irrepressible uses of prescription drug have reached epidemic
proportion in the United States and through out the world
as surveys represent a significant rise in non-medical prescription
drug use. The non-medical use of prescription drugs remains
a serious public health concern.
With all these drugs prescribed for rightful medical purpose,
people are inclined to carry plain misconceptions about
these powerful substances, and one of the sole reasons for
falling victim to the compulsive trend.
Common Drugs
There are three classes of prescription drugs that are most
commonly abused.
1. Pain Medication: Opioids, which are most
often prescribed to treat pain;
2. Depressant: CNS depressants, which are used to
treat anxiety and sleep disorders;
3. Stimulants: which are prescribed to treat the
sleep disorder narcolepsy, attention-deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD), and obesity.
Surveys reveal that prescription
drug addiction is on the rise in the United States since
the last eight years. From 1990 to 1998, the number of new
users of pain relievers has increased by incredible percentage.
Trends of concern mainly lie among older adults, adolescents,
and women. Ease of access has been one of the major factors
for making people prone to addiction.
For instance, health care professionals - including physicians,
nurses, pharmacists, dentists, anesthesiologists, and veterinarians
- may be at increased risk of prescription drug abuse.
Older Adults
The misuse of prescription drugs may be the most common
form of drug abuse among the elderly. Older adults are prescribed
drugs approximately three times as frequently as the general
population and have been found to have the poorest rates
of compliance with directions for taking a medication. In
general, older people should be prescribed lower doses of
medications, because the body's ability to metabolize many
medications decreases with age.
Adolescents and Young
Adults
Surveys show that the most dramatic increase in new users
of prescription drugs for non-medical purposes are mostly
young adolescents. Inquisitiveness, futility etc may lead
to fatal indulgence thereby making them victim of unwanted
action.
College students often use Opioids, aspirin (Percodan) and
hydrocodone (Vicodin) to get momentary euphoric high.
Gender Ratio
Studies imply that women are more likely to be prescribed
abusable drugs, chiefly narcotics and anti-anxiety drugs.
Overall, men and women have almost similar rates of nonmedical
use of prescription drugs such as Opioids, which are equally
likely to become addicted. However, among women and men
who use sedative, anti-anxiety drug, or hypnotic, women
are more prone to becoming addicted.
An exception is found among 12- to 17-year-olds: In this
age group, young women are more likely than young men to
use psychotherapeutic drugs non-medically.
For
more information and a free professional consultation call
800-559-9503
anytime day or night.
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