Misuse of prescription

Neal, Jordan, and Carol Kaufmann. A Fatal Combination Brother s Misuse of Prescription Drugs. Reader s Digest 173 (October 2008) 19. Along with facts and arguments, evidence of the seriousness of prescription drug abuse comes from real-life stories. In this article, Jordan Neal tells of the death of her brother from a combination of a cold medication, OxyCon-tin, and alcohol. 

Misuse of prescription drugs, including painkillers, is common among elderly people. However, unlike with younger people, when elderly people misuse or abuse prescriptions it is more likely to be accidental or unintentional. Since the body s ability to metabolize, or break down, many medications decreases with age, elderly people usually are prescribed lower doses of potent drugs than younger persons are. 

Elwood WN. Sticky business patterns of procurement and misuse of prescription cough syrup in Houston. J Psychoactive Drugs 2001 33(2) 121-33. 

Use and misuse of prescription and nonprescription medications Poor compliance with instructions Use of multiple medications... 

The use and misuse of prescription medication can present particular problems for older individuals, and social work professionals must stay informed on the subject. An older person for whom medication is prescribed may have a different reaction than a younger person taking the... 

Controlled Substances and Alcohol — Covers operation of CMVs by drivers who are impaired due to alcohol, illegal drugs, and misuse of prescription or over-the-counter medications. Examples of violations include ... 

Heroin and other opiates are controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act making it illegal to possess them or to supply them to other people without a prescription. Heroin is treated as a Class A drug where the maximum penalties are 7 years imprisonment and a fine for possession and life imprisonment and a fine for supply. 

All amphetamines are prescription only drugs under the Medicines Act. Most are also controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Doctors can prescribe them for patients but it is an offence to be in possession of amphetamines without a prescription. Most amphetamines are controlled as class B drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Maximum penalties for possession are 5 years imprisonment plus a fine and for supply are 14 years imprisonment and a fine. If amphetamines are prepared for injection they become class A drugs and increased penalties apply. 

Michael Jackson, one of the world s most popular singers and performers, who died in 2009 from misuse of a powerful anesthetic to help him sleep. Jackson had a history of abuse of prescription painkillers, caused initially by injuries sustained during a rehearsal accident that set his hair on fire. The inappropriate use of propofol, the drug that killed him, has led authorities to charge Jackson s personal physician with manslaughter. 

The sale of amyl nitrite is illegal in Great Britain without a prescription. But the possession or use without a prescription is not illegal. In New Zealand, amyl and butyl nitrites are controlled under the Medicines Act of 1981. This Act limits the availability of substances that can be used as medicines and imposes penalties for misuse of these drugs. Penalties can be up to three months in jail, a fine of 500, or both. Police also can hold people under the influence of the drug for detoxification under the Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Act 1966. This is rarely done, since the visible effects of amyl nitrite use usually wear off after a few minutes. 

The misuse of antidepressants may occur when patients diagnose themselves for depression, and their request for a prescription is honored by their physician. In such cases a placebo (sugar pill) might be just as effective. This person is not addicted to the drug, but may be overly concerned with his or her own personal health. 

The Poison Prevention Packaging Act (www.cpsc.gov/businfo/pppa.html) requires special packaging of most human oral prescription drugs, oral controlled drugs, certain normal prescription drugs, certain dietary supplements, and many over-the-counter (OTC) drug preparations in order to protect the public from personal injury or illness from misuse of these preparations. 

All prescription-only medicines may be supplied by emergency supply at the request of a practitioner, except controlled drugs in Schedules 1, 2 and 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations (apart from phenobarbital or pheno-barbital sodium for the treatment of epilepsy). Please note that the emergency supply of phenobarbital or phenobarbital sodium for the treatment of a medical condition other than epilepsy would therefore be unlawful. 

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