Prescription drug abuse opioids

The most commonly abused prescription drugs are opioids and opiates such as oxycodone and morphine, central nervous system depressants such as barbiturates and benzodiazepines, and stimulants such as dextroamphetamine and methylphenidate. Brand-name painkillers such as Vicodin and OxyContin, depressants such as Valium and Xanax, and stimulants such as Ritalin and Dexedrine are commonly abused (as are some OTC cough remedies). Although helpful and safe when used appropriately, these drugs can cause serious harm when taken in unapproved ways. 

Codeine plays a relatively minor role in the overall picture of opioid prescription drug abuse. Evidence indicates that proper prescribing of codeine for legitimate medical concerns does not greatly increase the risk of addiction and abuse. Those in the medical community agree that more education is needed on both sides to help prevent the potential for abuse and addiction, so that patients tmly in need are not denied access to codeine based on misperceptions and fear. The benefits for individuals and society are great when chronic pain is treated safely and effectively. 

Another area of concern in prescription drug abuse is with health-care providers, such as nurses, doctors, pharmacists, dentists, and others. These persons have ready access to highly addictive drugs, such as the opioids, and are more vulnerable to such abuse. In addition, these professions are more stressful than average, and this may be a factor in the higher-than-normal rates of abuse in this group. 

The increased vigilance of legal authorities to crack down on prescription drug abuse has led to situations where patients are afraid to ask for sufficient pain medication for fear of being seen as an addict or someone with a low pain threshold. Many physicians are afraid to prescribe opioids because they are required by law to record and justify all narcotic analgesic prescriptions. 

All prescription drug abuse may lead to harmful consequences such as accidents, injuries, blackouts, legal problems, and unsafe sexual behavior, which can increase the risk of acquiring sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Specifically, each class of drugs has certain potentially life-threatening consequences of abuse. The abuse of opioids may lead to severe respiratory depression and inability to breathe, which can lead to death. Depressants may also cause respiratory depression and may lead to seizures if an addict suddenly stops taking them. Stimulants speed up the body s activities and raise blood pressure and heart rate, and when abused, may lead to a heart attack, stroke, or a seizure. Combinations... 

Drug use by teenagers in 2004 appears to have declined, though use of inhalants and oxycodone (OxyContin ), a prescription opioid pain reliever, are on the rise. Recent reports indicate that a ready source of drugs of abuse for adolescents is prescription drugs found in the home medicine cabinet, as well as prescription drugs available on the Internet. ... 

Women are more likely than men to receive prescribed drugs that are abused among adult populations. These prescribed drugs are most often antidepressants and pain relievers. Evidence indicates that men and women are at similar risk for becoming addicted to opioids. However, women are far more likely to become addicted to other types of prescription drugs than men. 

There are three major classes of prescription drugs of abuse opioids, central nervous system (CNS) depressants, and stimulants. Opioids are medications often prescribed to treat pain. They work on special parts of the brain to relieve... 

The number of Americans abusing prescription drugs doubled from 7.8 million in 1992 to 15.1 million in 2003. The painkiller hydrocodone was used by 7.4% of college students in the United States in 2005. It is a semisynthetic opioid derived from two of naturally occurring opiates, codeine and thebaine. Production of this drug has increased in recent years. In Scandinavia, flunitrazapam, a sedative, is sold as Rohypnol, and it is widely known as a date-rape drug. ... 

The nonmedical use of prescription drugs has evolved toward a severe health issue worldwide. To date, prescription drugs are the second of abused substances after marijuana in teens in the United States (White House ONDCP, 2014) and include pain killers (opioids), stimulants (ADHD medication), and antidepressants. 

Zacny, J. et al., College on Problems of Drug Dependence taskforce on prescription opioid nonmedical use and abuse position statement, Drug Alcohol Depend., 69, 215, 2003. 

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