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.
Addiction rarely occurs among people who use a pain reliever,
CNS depressant, or stimulant as prescribed; however, inappropriate
use of prescription drugs can lead to addiction in some cases.
Patients, healthcare professionals, and pharmacists all have
roles in preventing misuse and addiction. For example, if a
doctor prescribes a pain medication, CNS depressant, or stimulant,
the patient should follow the directions for use carefully,
and also learn what effects the drug could have and potential
interactions with other drugs by reading all information provided
by the pharmacist. Physicians and other health care providers
should screen for any type of substance abuse during routine
history-taking with questions about what prescriptions and over-the-counter
medicines the patient is taking and why.
In 1999, an estimated 4 million people, about 2 percent of the
population age 12 and older, were currently (use in past month)
using prescription drugs non-medically. Of these, 2.6 million
misused pain relievers, 1.3 million misused sedatives and tranquilizers,
and 0.9 million misused stimulants.1 While prescription drug
abuse affects many Americans, some trends of particular concern
can be seen among older adults, adolescents, and women.
The misuse of prescribed medications may be the most common
form of drug abuse among the elderly. Older people are prescribed
medications about three times more frequently than the general
population, and have poorer compliance with directions for use.
The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse1 numbers indicate
that the sharpest increases in new users of prescription drugs
for non-medical purposes occur in 12 to 17 and 18 to 25 year-olds.
Among 12 to 14 year-olds, psychotherapeutics (e.g., pain killers,
tranquilizers, sedatives, and stimulants) were reported to be
one of two primary drugs used.
The 1999 Monitoring the Future Survey2 of 8th, 10th, and 12th
graders nationwide, showed that for barbiturates, tranquilizers,
and narcotics other than heroin, general long-term declines
in use in the 1980s leveled-off in the early 1990s, with modest
increases again in the mid-1990s.
Overall, men and women have roughly similar rates of nonmedical
use of prescription drugs, with the exception of 12 to 17 year
olds. In this age group, young women are more likely than young
men to use psychotherapeutic drugs nonmedically. Also, among
women and men who use either a sedative, anti-anxiety drug,
or hypnotic, women are almost twice as likely to become addicted.3
The Drug Abuse Warning Network,4 which collects data on drug-related
hospital emergency room episodes, reported that mentions of
hydrocodone as a cause for visiting an emergency room increased
37 percent among all age groups from 1997 to 1999. Also, mentions
of clonazepam increased 102 percent since 1992.
While many prescription drugs can be abused or misused, these
three classes are most commonly abused:
Opioids - often prescribed to treat pain.
CNS Depressants - used to treat anxiety and
sleep disorders.
Stimulants - prescribed to treat narcolepsy
and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Opioids are commonly prescribed because of their effective analgesic
or pain relieving properties. Many studies have shown that properly
managed medical use of opioid analgesic drugs is safe and rarely
causes clinical addiction, which is defined as compulsive, often
uncontrollable use. Taken exactly as prescribed, opioids can
be used to manage pain effectively.
Among the drugs that fall within this class - sometimes referred
to as narcotics - are morphine, codeine, and related drugs.
Morphine is often used before or after surgery to alleviate
severe pain. Codeine is used for milder pain. Other examples
of opioids that can be prescribed to alleviate pain include
oxycodone (OxyContin-an oral, controlled release form of the
drug); propoxyphene (Darvon); hydrocodone (Vicodin); hydromorphone
(Dilaudid); and meperidine (Demerol), which is used less often
because of its side effects. In addition to their effective
pain relieving properties, some of these drugs can be used to
relieve severe diarrhea (Lomotil, for example, which is diphenoxylate)
or severe coughs (codeine).
Opioids act by attaching to specific proteins called opioid
receptors, which are found in the brain, spinal cord, and gastrointestinal
tract. When these drugs attach to certain opioid receptors in
the brain and spinal cord they can effectively block the transmission
of pain messages to the brain.
In addition to relieving pain, opioid drugs can affect regions
of the brain that mediate what we perceive as pleasure, resulting
in the initial euphoria that many opioids produce. They can
also produce drowsiness, cause constipation, and, depending
upon the amount of drug taken, depress breathing. Taking a large
single dose could cause severe respiratory depression or be
fatal.
Opioids may interact with other drugs and are only safe to
use with other drugs under a physician's supervision. Typically,
they should not be used with substances such as alcohol, antihistamines,
barbiturates, or benzodiazepines. These drugs slow down breathing,
and their combined effects could risk life-threatening respiratory
depression.
Chronic use of opioids can result in tolerance to the drugs
so that higher doses must be taken to obtain the same initial
effects. Long-term use also can lead to physical dependence
- the body adapts to the presence of the drug and withdrawal
symptoms occur if use is reduced abruptly.
Symptoms of withdrawal can include restlessness, muscle and
bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes with goose
bumps ("cold turkey"), and involuntary leg movements.
Options for effectively treating addiction to prescription
opioids are drawn from experience and research on treating heroin
addiction. Some examples follow.
Methadone, a synthetic opioid that blocks the effects of heroin
and other opioids, eliminates withdrawal symptoms, and relieves
drug craving. It has been used for over 30 years to successfully
treat people addicted to opioids.
Other medications include LAAM (levo-alpha-acetyl-methadol),
an alternative to methadone that blocks the effects of opioids
for up to 72 hours. Naltrexone is a long acting opioid blocker
often used with highly motivated individuals in treatment programs
promoting complete abstinence, and also to prevent relapse.
Buprenorphine, another synthetic opioid, will soon be available.
Also, naloxone counteracts the effects of opioids and is used
to treat overdoses.
CNS depressants slow down normal brain function. In higher doses,
some CNS depressants can become general anesthetics.
CNS depressants can be divided into two groups, based on their
chemistry and pharmacology:
Barbiturates, such as mephobarbital (Mebaral) and pentobarbital
sodium (Nembutal), which are used to treat anxiety, tension,
and sleep disorders.
Benzodiazepines, such as diazepam (Valium), chlordiazepoxide
HCl (Librium), and alprazolam (Xanax), which can be prescribed
to treat anxiety, acute stress reactions, and panic attacks.
Benzodiazepines that have a more sedating effect, such as triazolam
(Halcion) and estazolam (ProSom) can be prescriped for short-term
treatment of sleep disorders.
There are many CNS depressants, and most act on the brain similarly
- they affect the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA).
Neurotransmitters are brain chemicals that facilitate communication
between brain cells. GABA works by decreasing brain activity.
Although different classes of CNS depressants work in unique
ways, ultimately it is their ability to increase GABA activity
that produces a drowsy or calming effect. Despite these beneficial
effects for people suffering from anxiety or sleeping disorders,
barbiturates and benzodiazepines can be addictive and should
be used only as prescribed.
CNS depressants should not be combined with any medication
or substance that causes sleepiness, including prescription
pain medicines, certain over-the-counter cold and allergy medications,
or alcohol. The effects of the drugs can combine to slow breathing,
or slow both the heart and respiration, which can be fatal.
Discontinuing prolonged use of high doses of CNS depressants
can lead to withdrawal. Because they work by slowing the brain's
activity, a potential consequence of abuse is that when one
stops taking a CNS depressant the brain's activity can rebound
to the point that seizures can occur. Someone thinking about
ending their use of a CNS depressant, or who has stopped and
is suffering withdrawal, should speak with a physician and seek
medical treatment.
In addition to medical supervision, counseling in an in-patient
or out-patient setting can help people who are overcoming addiction
to CNS depressants. For example, cognitive-behavioral therapy
has been used successfully to help individuals in treatment
for abuse of benzodiazepines. This type of therapy focuses on
modifying a patient's thinking, expectations, and behaviors
while simultaneously increasing their skills for coping with
various life stressors.
Often the abuse of CNS depressants occurs in conjunction with
the abuse of another substance or drug, such as alcohol or cocaine.
In these cases of polydrug abuse, the treatment approach needs
to address the multiple addictions.
Stimulants are a class of drugs that enhance brain activity
- they cause an increase in alertness, attention, and energy
that is accompanied by increases in blood pressure, heart rate,
and respiration.
Historically, stimulants were used to treat asthma and other
respiratory problems, obesity, neurological disorders, and a
variety of other ailments. As their potential for abuse and
addiction became apparent, the use of stimulants began to wane.
Now, stimulants are prescribed for treating only a few health
conditions, including narcolepsy, attention-deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD), and depression that has not responded to other
treatments. Stimulants may also be used for short-term treatment
of obesity, and for patients with asthma.
Stimulants such as dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine) and methylphenidate
(Ritalin) have chemical structures that are similar to key brain
neurotransmitters called monoamines, which include norepinephrine
and dopamine. Stimulants increase the levels of these chemicals
in the brain and body. This, in turn, increases blood pressure
and heart rate, constricts blood vessels, increases blood glucose,
and opens up the pathways of the respiratory system. In addition,
the increase in dopamine is associated with a sense of euphoria
that can accompany the use of these drugs.
Research indicates that people with ADHD do not become addicted
to stimulant medications, such as Ritalin, when taken in the
form prescribed and at treatment dosages.5 However, when misused,
stimulants can be addictive.
The consequences of stimulant abuse can be extremely dangerous.
Taking high doses of a stimulant can result in an irregular
heartbeat, dangerously high body temperatures, and/or the potential
for cardiovascular failure or lethal seizures. Taking high doses
of some stimulants repeatedly over a short period of time can
lead to hostility or feelings of paranoia in some individuals.
Stimulants should not be mixed with antidepressants or over-the-counter
cold medicines containing decongestants. Anti-depressants may
enhance the effects of a stimulant, and stimulants in combination
with decongestants may cause blood pressure to become dangerously
high or lead to irregular heart rhythms.
Treatment of addiction to prescription stimulants, such as
methylphenidate and amphetamines, is based on behavioral therapies
proven effective for treating cocaine or methamphetamine addiction.
At this time, there are no proven medications for the treatment
of stimulant addiction. Antidepressants, however, may be used
to manage the symptoms of depression that can accompany early
abstinence from stimulants.
Depending on the patient's situation, the first step in treating
prescription stimulant addiction may be to slowly decrease the
drug's dose and attempting to treat withdrawal symptoms. This
process of detoxification could then be followed with one of
many behavioral therapies. Contingency management, for example,
uses a system that enables patients to earn vouchers for drug-free
urine tests; the vouchers can be exchanged for items that promote
healthy living. Cognitive-behavioral therapies are proving beneficial,
and recovery support groups may also be effective in conjunction
with a behavioral therapy.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reference - National Institute on Drug Abuse, Research Report
Series: Prescription Drugs/Abuse and Addiction, April 2001.
1 These data are from the 1999 National Household Survey on
Drug Abuse (NHSDA), funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). NHSDA is an annual
survey on the nationwide prevalence and incidence of illicit
drug, alcohol, and tobacco use among Americans age 12 and older.
The 1999 NHSDA also provides estimates of State and Washington,
D.C. data. For detailed information from of the latest survey,
visit www.samhsa.gov or order a copy from 1-800-729-6686.
2 The Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey is conducted by the
University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research and is
funded by National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes
of Health. The survey has tracked 12th graders' illicit drug
use and related attitudes since 1975; in 1991, 8th and 10th
graders were added to the study. For the 2000 study, 45,173
students were surveyed from a representative sample of 435 public
and private schools nationwide. The student response rate was
86 percent. For the latest survey results, please visit the
NIDA website at www.drugabuse.gov.
3 L. Simoni-Wastila, The Use of Abusable Prescription Drugs:
The Role of Gender, Journal of Women's Health and Gender-based
Medicine 9(3):289-297, 2000.
4 The latest findings on drug abuse related hospital visits
(emergency room data) and deaths (medical examiner data) are
from the 1999 Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), produced by
the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA). For detailed information from of the latest survey,
visit www.samhsa.gov or order a copy from 1-800-729-6686.
5 Nora Volkow, et al., Dopamine Transporter Occupancies in
the Human Brain Induced by Therapeutic Doses of Oral Methylphenidate,
Am J Psychiatry 155:1325-1331, October 1998.
Source: National Institute on Drug Addiction
