Prescription Drug Abuse Essay - 1744 Words

Prescription Drug Abuse Research Paper According to results from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an estimated 2.4 million Americans used prescription drugs non medically for the first time within the past year. This statistic averages to approximately 6,600 new people per day who are taking prescription drugs that were not prescribed to them, or are not needed to treat a serious condition anymore. More than one-half of the 2.4 million people taking prescription drugs for the first time are women, ,and about a third were aged 12-17. Prescription drug abuse is highest among young adults, ages 18-25. According to the NSDUH the most commonly abused prescription drugs are opiods, CNS depressants, and stimulants.†¦show more content†¦CNS depressant abuse overtime will produce a dependence, requiring the user to seek more of the drug and often more powerful dosages to achieve the intended effects. Continued use can also lead to physical dependence and with drawal when use is abruptly reduced or stopped. All CNS depressants work by slowing the brains activity, when an individual stops taking them, there can be a rebound effect, resulting in seizures or other harmful consequences. Although withdrawal from benzodiazepines can be problematic, it is rarely life threatening, whereas withdrawal from prolonged use of barbiturates can have life-threatening complications. Someone who is addicted to barbiturates will begin to feel acute withdrawal symptoms within 8-16 hours after the last dose. Symptoms can be present for as long as 15 days and are most severe at the beginning of withdrawal. Barbiturates withdrawal symptoms can include restlessness, insomnia, weakness, dizziness, nausea, sweating and anxiety. There may be tremors, seizures, hallucinations and psychosis. Users may become hostile and violent. Without proper treatment, hyperthermia, circulatory failure, and death can result. Some of the CNS depressents that are commonly abused are Ativan, Librium, Valium, Xanax, Phenobarbital, Ambien and Lunesta. Some of the street names for these prescription drugs are barbs, reds, red birds, phennies, tooies, yellows, and yellowShow MoreRelatedPrescription Drug Abuse Essay1136 Words   |  5 Pageshard transition in his life from the elementary levels of school to high school. Along the way, he started hanging out with the wrong crowd and doing all sorts of drugs like smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol. In his senior year he realized he wanted to do something different with his life and he joined the boxing team and quit drugs, but one Saturday night that all ended. David was offered a patch that was supposed to make him feel an extremely good feeling. He didnt know what was in the patchRead MoreEssay on Prescription Drug Abuse1318 Words   |  6 Pages Prescription drug abuse has become increasingly prevalent among teens in the county. There has been an increase in the abuse of prescription drugs for a number of reasons. Some individuals who misuse prescription drugs believe they are safer than other illicit drugs because they are prescribed by a healthcare professional and dispensed by a pharmacist. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has classified this prescription drug abuse as an epidemic. More and more teens are becoming addictedRead MorePrescription Drug Abuse Essay1860 Words   |  8 PagesEnglish 12 Acevedo 9 November 2017 Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic Does one know about the prescription drug abuse epidemic our country is currently facing? Prescription drug abuse doesn’t discriminate, as it affects people of all ages, races, genders, and socioeconomic status. So what is causing this Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic? A prescription drug also known as a pharmaceutical drug is used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Prescription Drug Abuse is known for being commonly recognizedRead MorePrescription Drug Abuse Essay1852 Words   |  8 PagesPrescription drug abuse has become an epidemic in the United States especially among the youth of our country. The Partnership for a Drug Free America says that 2,500 teens a day abuse prescription drugs. Abuse of these narcotics can lead to serious mental and physical consequences. Why is this such a problem, what can we do to solve it, and how is it affecting our social lives? First we must explore what prescription drugs are being abused. The most popular abused drugs fall into three categoriesRead MoreEssay on The Rise on Prescription Drug Abuse860 Words   |  4 Pages and or the physicians lack the knowledge of the best ways to help manage the pain their patients are experiencing. This is why most people believe that Physicians are the main cause for the rise of prescription drug abuse (Garcia, 2013). Between the years of 1999 and 2010 the amount of prescription painkillers that were sold to the pharmacies, hospitals, and the doctor offices nearly quadrupled. This means that physicians are prescribing four times more pain medications than they did 11 years agoRead MoreTeenage Prescription Drug Abuse Essay1427 Words   |  6 PagesTeenage Prescription Drug Abuse Years ago, the common image of an adolescent drug abuser was a teen trying to escape from reality on illegal substances like cocaine, heroin, or marijuana. Today, there is a great discrepancy between that perception and the reality of who is likely to abuse drugs. A teenage drug abuser might not have to look any further than his or her parent’s medicine chest to ‘score.’ Prescription drug abuse by teens is on the rise. Also, teens are looking to prescription drugsRead More Prescription Drug Abuse in America Essay1800 Words   |  8 Pageswith people, ages 12 and older, taking prescription pills without being prescribed them. (NSDUH) Many teens and adults can recall a friend asking them for their prescription pills or have witnessed someone taking these pills illegally. Throughout my life, there are many instances that I can recall from memory that deal with prescription pills and these instance changed or altered my life. People tend to think that prescription pi lls are safer than street drugs because they are made for people to takeRead MorePrescription Drug Abuse in Teenagers Essay2188 Words   |  9 PagesPrescription Drug Abuse in Teenagers Christina King COM 220 May 19, 2010 Rosario Rivera-Reyes Although prescription drugs are not harmful if used correctly, prescription drug abuse is high in teenagers. Most parents would never think their teenagers are helping themselvesRead MoreEssay about Abuse of Prescription Drugs2259 Words   |  10 Pagesdefinition of abuse of prescription drugs is using a medication in a manner other than prescribed, by a person who it was not prescribed for, to obtain a particular experience. Many people, but especially teenagers and young adults, have turned to abusing prescription medication. Some people have an increased genetic risk of getting addicted to medications but environmental factors such as economic level, lack of employment and pressure from peers also have a significant impact. Abuse of these drugs has harmfulRead MoreEssay on Prescription Drugs and Drug Abuse in the United States1751 Words   |  8 PagesWith access to prescription drugs, people are able to treat a multitude of diseases and illnesses. These drugs hel p deal with pain, inability to sleep, depression, and much more. Every day we are increasingly living in a world where there is better living through chemicals. However, what most do not seem to see is the rising tide of pain, illness, and ultimately death being caused by the pills people take every day. Most keep drugs in a special place in their minds, where they see them as harmless