Prescription Drugs

Abuse and Addiction

How can something that a doctor gives to you be bad?

Prescription drugs are not harmful if they are used properly and only under a doctor’s supervision.

However, taking prescription drugs without a doctor’s approval and supervision can be a dangerous, even deadly, decision.

Teen Misuse/Abuse

Also alarming is the fact that the 2004 National Institute on Drug Abuse's (NIDA's) Monitoring the Future survey of 8th, 10th, and 12th-graders found that 9.3 percent of 12th-graders reported using Vicodin without a prescription in the past year.

5.0 percent reported using OxyContin-making these medications among the most commonly abused prescription drugs by adolescents.

The Difference Between Misuse and Abuse

What does misuse mean? A person with a valid drug prescription can mis-use it if he or she doesn’t follow the directions properly. For example, if a prescription says to take one pill every four hours and then the user takes three pills every four hours instead, he or she is mis-using the drug. Sometimes, people think that taking more of a drug will make its effect happen quicker.

What does abuse mean?

Abuse means that a person, with or without a prescription, intentionally takes a prescription drug to get high or for some reason other than what the drug is intended to treat.

What’s the difference?

The difference between mis-use and abuse is the person’s intention – is he or she using it inappropriately out of ignorance (mis-use) or is he or she intentionally using it for a non-medical purpose (abuse)?

Prescribed Drugs

Commonly misused drugs come in three categories.

Narcotics (Pain Rx) Vicodin/OxyContin

Depressants (anxiety/sleep disorders) Xanax/Valium

Stimulants (ADD) Ritalin

Misuse/Abuse of Narcotic Pain RX

Produce drowsiness; Cause constipation; Depress breathing, depending on the

amount taken. Even a large single dose could cause severe respitory depression and death;

Interact with other drugs and are only safe to use with other drugs when under a physician’s supervision;

Narcotic Rx Continued

(Repeated use can) result in tolerance to the drugs so that higher doses must be taken to get the same initial effects;

Lead to physical dependence after long-term use. This means that the body adapts to the presence of the drug and withdrawal symptoms occur if use is reduced abruptly;

Produce withdrawal symptoms including restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps, and involuntary leg movements.

Misuse/Abuse of CNS Depressants

Slow breathing, or slow both the heart and respiration, which can be fatal. This is particularly true if CNS depressants are combined with the use of certain prescription pain medicines, over-the-counter cold and allergy medications, or alcohol;

Be highly addictive, which leads to compulsive drug seeking and use;

Lead to withdrawal symptoms after prolonged use, including seizures. When a person stops using CNS depressants after a period of abusing them, the brain’s activity rebounds and can cause this condition.

Misuse/ Abuse of Stimulants

Result in the development of an irregular heartbeat; Raise the body’s temperature to dangerously high

levels; Lead to cardiovascular failure or deadly seizures; Create feelings of hostility or paranoia; Be particularly dangerous when combined with the use

of anti-depressants or over-the-counter cold medicines containing decongestants. Anti-depressants may enhance the effects of stimulants. Decongestants, when combined with stimulants, may cause blood pressure to become dangerously high or lead to irregular hearth rhythms.

Prescription Drugs in the ER

In 2000, 43 percent of those who ended up in hospital emergency rooms from drug overdoses-nearly a half million people-were there because of misusing or abusing prescription drugs.

In seven cities in 2000 (Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Seattle, and Washington, DC) 626 people died from overdose of painkillers and tranquilizers. By 2001, such deaths had increased in Miami and Chicago by 20 percent.

From 1998 to 2000, the number of people entering an emergency room because of misusing or abusing hydrocodone (Vicodin®) rose 48 percent and oxycodone (Oxycontin®) rose 108 percent. The rates are intensifying: from mid-2000 to mid-2001, oxycodone went up in emergency room visits 44 percent.

Over the Counter Drugs

What over the counter drugs are most misused?

Cough medication Pseudofed Claratin-D

Over the Counter Cough/Cold Rx

Over the counter medications are easily accessable. Available at most convience stores and supermarkets

They do not require a prescription

Are generally safe when used as directed

DXM

Some teens are drawn to an ingredient found in nearly half of these medications called dextromethorphan, or DXM. When taken in excessive doses, dextromethorphan can cause psychoactive effects that are extremely dangerous.

Some of the short- and long-term effects include insomnia, delusions, and brain damage.

Conclusion

If you have any concerns or further questions please contact:

Ms Freeman or Officer Cleary