Abuse prescription drugs

Research Report Prescription Drugs Abuse and Addiction, Bethesda, Md. National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH Publication No. 01-4881, July 2001. 

McCarthy M. Prescription drug abuse up sharply in the USA. Lancet 2007 369 1505-6. 

Adapted from National Institute on Drug Abuse. Information on Drugs of Abuse— Prescription Drug Abuse Chart. Available on the Internet http //www.drugabuse.gov/DrugPages/PrescripDrugsChart.html. ... 

National Institute of Drug Abuse, Trends in Prescription Drug Abuse. ... 

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. 

Business Wire. Ten Things You and Your Family Should Know about the Dangers of Prescription Painkillers, According to the Waismann Foundation. Available online. URL http //www.opiates.com/media/ prescription-painkiller-dangers.html. Posted September 7, 2004. This document aims to help parents become aware of the risks of this major source of prescription drug abuse. It encourages parents to talk with children about the risks and to look for signs of abuse. 

A common vocabulary has not been established in the field of prescription drug abuse. Because much of the survey data collected in this area refer to nonmedical use of prescription drugs, this definition of abuse, rather than that of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), is used. Also, because physical dependence to prescription medications can develop during medically supervised appropriate use, the term addiction is used to reflect dependence as defined by the DSM. 

Inciardi, James A. and Jennifer L. Good. 2003. OxyContin and Prescription Drug Abuse Miracle Medicine or Problem Drug Consumer s Research Magazine 86(7) 17. 

No medical use, high abuse potential Some medical use, high abuse potential Prescription drugs, abuse potential... 

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. 

Prescription Drug Abuse and Misuse A Global Perspective 9... 

The 2004 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS), conducted by Partnership for a Drug-Free America, showed that prescription drug abuse is higher than or on par with most other illicit substances (Figure 1.2). PATS data indicates that one in five teenagers has abused Vicodin , and one in ten has abused OxyContin (a pain medication) or a stimulant such as Ritalin (a medication to control attention-deficit/hyperac-tivity disorder, or ADHD). 

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