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What is Prescription Drug Abuse
What is prescription drug abuse?The statistics on teen pain killer abuse are surprising. What types of prescription drugs are abused by teens? Read this article to find out about prevention, effects, and treatment of teen prescription drug abuse. Advertising:
Basically, anytime a prescription drug is used for non-medical purposes it's considered to be abuse. When used correctly in accordance with doctor's directions, these drugs are beneficial to us. If prescription drugs are abused, these drugs can cause a wide array of problems. These types of prescription drugs alter brain activity and can cause both addiction and physical dependence among other things. Prescription drug abuse has been on a steady incline in the United States. According to a 2004 study done by SAMHSA, roughly 6.1% of young adults ages 18-25 were currently using prescription medications non-medically. Their 2004 study also showed that "an estimated 2.8 million persons used psychotherapeutics nonmedically for the first time within the past year. The numbers of new users of psychotherapeutics in 2004 were 2.4 million for pain relievers, 1.2 million for tranquilizers, 793,000 for stimulants, and 240,000 for sedatives."(1) Because prescription drugs are legal, people tend to think that the risks associated with prescription drugs are not as great. This misconception is one of the leading reasons for the increase in prescription drug abuse. Types of Prescription Drugs Abused by Teens Generally, prescription drug abuse falls into three categories.
Effects of Teen Prescription Drug Abuse Effects vary depending upon the type of prescription drug abused.
Treatment for Teen Prescription Drug Abuse If you suspect your teen may be abusing prescription drugs, there are two main types of treatment that are widely used. Talk to the appropriate healthcare professional about which course of treatment is best for the particular type of drug abused.
Prevention of Teen Prescription Drug Abuse Most importantly, we as parents need to be aware and keep all prescription drugs out of reach of our teens. A large amount of responsibility also falls on both the physicians and pharmacists of the teens. If a teen comes in to get a prescription for any of these medications, the doctor should get a full past history from the teen and his/her parent. They need to be aware and look out for any signs of the teen's prior drug abuse/treatment. Pharmacists need to keep an eye out for teens who are requesting large amounts of a particular prescription drug or who needs many refills. These should be clues that prescription drug abuse may exist. Ultimately though, it is the responsibility of the teen to respect these drugs and use them only as medically necessary. Sources: 1. nida.nih.gov/drugpages/prescription.html2. drugabusestatistics.samhsa.gov Related Article: Drug Use Effects - Teen Drug Abuse >> |
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