Prescription Drug Abuse - Facts and Articles

Prescription Drug Addiction
Years of research have shown us that addiction to any drug, illicit or prescribed, is a brain disease that can, like other chronic diseases, be effectively treated.

What Can We Do?
Healthcare providers, primary care physicians, pharmacists, and patients themselves, can all play a role in identifying and preventing prescription drug abuse.

Prescription Drugs and Pain Medications
Prescription drugs make complex surgery possible, relieve pain for millions of people, and enable many individuals with chronic medical conditions to control their symptoms and lead productive lives. Most people who take prescription medications use them responsibly. However, the non-medical use of prescription drugs is a serious public health concern. Nonmedical use of prescription drugs like opioids, central nervous system (CNS) depressants, and stimulants can lead to abuse and addiction, characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use.

The Dark Side of Prescription Drugs
Historically, prescription drug addiction has been the most underreported drug abuse problem in the nation (National Institute of Drug Abuse). It is also the least understood. Addiction to and withdrawal from prescription drugs can be more dangerous than other substances because of the insidious nature of these drugs.

Myths About Drug Treatment Prescription Drugs: Ritalin
Methylphenidate is a medication prescribed for individuals (usually children) who have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which consists of a persistent pattern of abnormally high levels of activity, impulsivity, and/or inattention that is more frequently displayed and more severe than is typically observed in individuals with comparable levels of development.

Steroid Addiction
These drugs are available legally only by prescription, to treat conditions that occur when the body produces abnormally low amounts of testosterone, such as delayed puberty and some types of impotence. They are also prescribed to treat body wasting in patients with AIDS and other diseases that result in loss of lean muscle mass. Abuse of anabolic steroids, however, can lead to serious health problems, some irreversible.

Recent Teen Trend in Substance Abuse
The 2006 Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey of eighth, 10th and 12th graders indicates that their past-month use of illicit drugs has dropped 23.2% since 2001 (from 19.4% in 2001 to 14.9% in 2006). By contrast, abuse of prescription opioids remains at extremely high levels. The study is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Prescription Drug Abuse Rehab Centers
Selecting a treatment center for alcoholism and drug abuse for yourself or someone you care about may be one of the most important decisions you will make in your lifetime. Most of us don't know what to look for in a quality program. Not all treatment centers are the same-they differ greatly in program options, staff qualifications, credentials, cost, and effectiveness.