PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE AND/OR ADDICTION IS A HUGE PROBLEM


Parents are concerned for the well-being and safety of their children, but how many are aware of the danger in their cabinets?



CHECK THIS OUT:


DID YOU KNOW THAT: The street drugs most commonly used by the young adults of the United States (Cocaine and Methamphetamine) are dropped significantly in 2007, but do not get too excited, yet! Abuse of prescription drugs has increased dramatically!! This brings up the question as to which is safer? Prescription drugs can be quite deceiving, giving the illusion that they are safe because they are prescribed and so readily available. This is not true; prescriptions are dangerous and should be thought of that way.


The amount of people taking at least one prescription has jumped from 67% in 2000 to 74% in 2006. These statistics does not take into account how many different prescriptions an individual might be on. This is not to say that all these people are going to become addicts but it shows how available the drugs are and how prevalent it is in society. The medicine cabinets at home are full of substances that can be abused.


For teens especially the drugs are usually not their own!! In a survey it revealed that 50% of those teens who used prescription medications found it easy to gain access through family and friends.


These drugs can also be easily obtained on the Internet without a prescription; all that is needed is a credit card. In a one week period the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA), conducted a search on the Internet; they found 495 websites that were identified with selling controlled drugs. They stated that 62% of these sites acted as a conduit to find other sites.

There are serious problems and concerns with buying drugs off the Internet!! Not all drugs are from the United States, dosages might not be the same or the formulation of the drug itself. There is no guarantee that you know what you are getting.




WOULDN'T A RX ADDICTION BE OBVIOUS?


People get desperate!!
· Forge prescriptions
· Steal from clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, etc

· Break into private homes
· The Internet
· Friends or relatives who have valid prescriptions
· Getting prescriptions from several doctors
· Going to several different pharmacies


WHY GO WITH PRESCRIPTIONS?


· Easier to get
· Cheaper than street drugs (insurance)
· Less risk of detection (law enforcement)
· Not seen as dangerous or as serious as alternatives
· Profitable business
· Easier to hide (lack of awareness)





SO WHAT’S GOING ON?


Well addictions have been around forever but in the United States addiction to pain killers really came to light during the Civil War. Opioids surpassed drug overdose related deaths, compared to cocaine and heroin, in 1999-2002. In 2002 alone over 16,000 people died in the United States alone due to overdoses. From 1997—2003 spending on prescription drugs has tripled ($78.9 to $216.4 billion). In 2001, the National Community Pharmacists Association estimated that prescription drug abuse and misuse on U.S. health care costs was more than $100 billion. An estimated 2.2 million Americans, aged 12 or older, start using prescription pain relievers each year for non-medical uses.



WHY ARE THEY STARTING SO YOUNG?


They are drugs given for every type of “illness” or problem. The number of children on prescription drugs is alarming!! There has been a huge increase in the prescriptions given to hyperactivity in children and teenagers. In the past two years alone the national average of prescriptions released for hyperactivity has increased 53.8%. It seems that maybe children are being over diagnosed!?! Anyways with children being diagnosed so early it gives them direct access to drugs that could potentially harm them or they friends. Many kids receive both Ritalin- type stimulant drugs and Prozac-type antidepressants, all these combinations add to the potential danger!! This is not a cause and effect statement but an interesting observation.



WHO ALL IS INVOLVED?


Ø Obviously the consumer is and should be held responsible for the prescriptions they receive
Ø Although doctors, hospitals, and pharmacies are not responsible the workers doctors, nurses, pharmacists, etc.) should be proactive and explain the possible risks of overdose, drug interactions and be persistent to find out all valid and important information needed to address the situation properly
Ø Drug abuse is not just an individual problem, it gives dealers opportunities, causes health and safety factors for others involved (children, family)
Ø Increased emergency visits
Ø Health insurance
Ø THE LIST COULD GO ON


THIS IS AN ONGOING EPIDEMIC!!!


IT ONLY SEEMS RARE BECAUSE IT IS NOT ALWAYS IN THE NEWS!! WHEN HEATH LEDGER DIED “RESULT IN FROM THE ABUSE OF PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS,” IT WAS PLASTERED EVERYWHERE AND PEOPLE BEGAN TO WONDER. HE WAS WEALTHY, GOOD-LOOKING, FAMOUS AND YOUNG; AND IT ALL HAPPENED SO SUDDENLY!! BASED ON STATISTICS CHILDREN ARE ADDICTED TO PAIN MEDS!! ACCORDING TO THE CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, IN 2007, AT LEAST 20,000 UNINTENTIONAL DRUG POISONINGS OCCUR ANNUALLY. KASEY THOMPSON, DIRECTOR FOR PATIENT SAFETY AT THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF HEALTH SYSTEM PHARMACISTS SAYS, “MEDICATIONS THAT ARE INTENDED TO HELP CAN CAUSE GREAT HARM WHEN USED INAPPROPRIATELY… ACCIDENTS LIKE THIS ARE ENTIRELY PREVENTABLE.” HEATH LEDGER’S DEATH WAS A TRAGEDY BUT HE IS NOT ALONE!! PEOPLE NEED TO BECOME MORE AWARE!!

http://www.ebasedprevention.org/oewn/prescription-drugs
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24443864-661,00.html
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070418163701.htm
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_68925.html
http://.usnews.com/articles/health/2008/02/08
http://www.canews.com/archives/2000/Jul/jul0300d.htm
http://www.thepillsafe.com/epidemic.htmlhttp://features.us.reuters.com/wellbeing/news.S3020463phtml