When prescription or over-the-counter medications are taken for non-medical purposes, they can lead to serious health issues such as addiction, dependence, overdose, and death.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), prescription medication dependency has reached alarming proportions in the United States. Unintentional overdose mortality increased at an alarming rate for ten years, rising from 4,000 to 14,800 yearly.
Concerning the Abuse of Prescription Drugs
Prescription medication abuse is becoming a significant issue in the United States. Because patients frequently seek short fixes for chronic pain, opioid addiction and misuse have spread across the country. Millions of individuals have been exposed to highly addictive opioids due to inexperienced doctors and those too eager to prescribe them. Opioids are one of the most widely abused prescription pharmaceuticals and commonly used substances.
Opioids aren’t the only issue with prescribed drugs. Many drugs can potentially lead to various sorts of substance addiction problems. These include central nervous system (CNS) depressants used to treat anxiety and sleep disturbances. ADHD stimulants are also included on this list.
Most individuals think that a doctor will prescribe medicine. However, consuming some medication in excess or at larger doses than advised can lead to serious addiction.
What Causes Prescription Medication Abuse?
People who believe prescription medications will make them happy, help them lose weight, enhance their fitness, or even help them study better may abuse them. Prescription medicines may be easier to get than illicit narcotics. They might own family members or friends. The most prevalent prescription medications are sometimes sold on the streets as illegal substances. One in every seven polled youths acknowledged using prescription medicines without a doctor’s prescription.
Prescription medications can only be obtained by people who have them. This is because the doctor analyzed these individuals and prescribed the appropriate drug dose for them. Their doctor also taught them how to take the medication and what they should avoid. The doctor is also aware of potential adverse effects and may keep track of patients.
What Are the Most Often Misused Drugs?
Which prescription medicines are causing an increase in addiction and overdose deaths? Many medications have the potential for abuse; however, the most often misused prescription drugs in the United States include opioids, stimulants, depressants (sedatives), and dextromethorphan.
According to a reliable Santa Rosa Beach addiction recovery center, the following are the many sorts of prescription medications that people regularly misuse:
Opioids
Opioids are natural and synthetic chemicals that are used to relieve pain. If used as directed, they can be safe and effective for managing pain in people who have been injured, are recovering from surgery, or have chronic pain.
Opioids are routinely used orally (orally). Many opioid drugs, such as oxycodone (oxycontin) in a particular formulation, are time-released. On the other hand, Crushed pills can be snorted or injected, resulting in a rapid release of the chemical and a subsequent “high.”
When more opioid medicine doses are released into the system than expected, it leads to a quicker addiction to the drug. Opioid abuse is hazardous and can result in overdose or death.
Depressants
Another misused prescription medication contributing to the surge in overdose mortality in the United States is sedative-hypnotics, particularly barbiturates and benzodiazepines.
Barbiturates: Anesthetics, anti-seizure medicines, and anxiety and sleep therapies are all examples of abusable prescription pharmaceuticals. However, due to the risk of addiction and overdose with these medications, benzodiazepines have primarily supplanted them in treating insomnia and anxiety.
Benzodiazepines: They are a class of pharmaceutical medicines that can be abused and are used to treat anxiety, seizures, and sleeplessness. When benzodiazepines are used with other drowsy drugs, such as alcohol, prescription pain relievers, or some over-the-counter cold and allergy medications, they can be exceedingly harmful.
Stimulant s
Stimulants are commonly used to treat ADHD and sleep difficulties and as a complement to antidepressants. Amphetamines are stimulants often used to increase alertness, attention, and energy levels. Adderall, Adderall XR, Dextroamphetamine, and Mydasis are examples of amphetamines.
Stimulant abuse is associated with various medical hazards, the most significant of which are associated with the cardiovascular system. A few instances include cardiac injury or failure, high blood pressure, and fast or irregular pulse. Stimulant misuse has the potential to have severe mental repercussions.
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Most Abused Drugs Prescribed By Doctors
Doctors most often recommend opioids, CNS depressants, and stimulant medicines. As marijuana becomes authorized for medicinal purposes, it will quickly become one of the most frequently misused prescription pharmaceuticals. This is a substantial departure from marijuana’s previous position as an illicit street narcotic. This indicates that marijuana will be abused more than any other illegal or prescribed substance.
Today’s most common additions to the prescription medication misuse list are:
- Painkillers, like Hydrocodone, Morphine, and Fentanyl
- Barbiturates, such as Nembutal
- Valium and Xanax, like benzodiazepines
- Ambien and other sedative-hypnotics
- Antidepressants, such as Prozac and Lexapro, Zoloft, Prozac and Lexapro, Lexapro, Paxil, and Prozac
- Stimulants such as Ritalin, Adderal, and Mydayis
Key Takeaway
Some people take advantage of the system to access the most often prescribed medications. Many of these prescription pharmaceuticals have proven very addictive, although this was not their intention. Even though these substances are legal, there is still the risk of addiction and abuse. Treatment for drug addiction at a qualified rehab clinic is the only way to overcome addiction to these or other substances.
In conclusion, it must be mentioned that the abuse of prescription pills is a serious health trouble that can lead to addiction, overdose and even death. Opioids, CNS depressants, and stimulants are the most usually misused prescription medications. While these goals may additionally be secure and effective when used as prescribed by a doctor, prescription drug abuse has become a big problem in the United States. People who abuse prescription medications often do this to cope with chronic pain, improve their mood or performance, or lose weight, however, on any news/ information or educational portal, even after reading here, you will understand that without a doctor’s appointment, it does not work for our benefit, but only worsens your health. To keep away from misuse of prescription medications, it is necessary to take medicinal drugs only as prescribed by using a doctor and top dispose of unused medications.
Thomas Jackson is a dynamic and talented content writer at WonderWorldSpace.com, renowned for his engaging and informative articles. Beyond his professional pursuits in writing, Jack is also known for his deep passion for fitness, which not only shapes his lifestyle but also influences his work.