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Prescription Drug Abuse: What is it? Background Info:
Angie overheard her parents talking about how her brother's ADHD medicine was making him less hungry. Because
Angie was worried about her weight, she started sneaking one of her brother's pills every few days.
Todd found an old bottle of painkillers that had been left over from his dad's operation. He decided to try them. Because
a doctor had prescribed the pills, Todd figured that meant they'd be OK to try.
Both Todd and Angie are taking risks. Prescription painkillers and other medications help lots of people live more
productive lives, freeing them from the symptoms of medical conditions like depression or attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD). But that's only when they're prescribed for a particular individual to treat a specific condition.
Taking prescription drugs in a way that hasn't been recommended by a doctor can be more dangerous than people
think. In fact, it's drug abuse. And it's just as illegal as taking street drugs.
Some people experiment with prescription drugs because they think they will help them have more fun, lose weight, fit
in, and even study more effectively. Prescription drugs can be easier to get than street drugs: Family members or friends
may have them. But prescription drugs are also sometimes sold on the street like other illegal drugs.
Prescription drug abuse continues to rise. In 2012, 24% of teens surveyed said they have taken a prescription drug
without a doctor's prescription.
Why? Some people think that prescription drugs are safer and less addictive than street drugs. After all, these are drugs
that moms, dads, and even kid brothers and sisters use. To Angie, taking her brother's ADHD medicine felt like a good
way to keep her appetite in check. She'd heard how bad diet pills can be, and she wrongly thought that the ADHD drugs
would be safer.
But prescription drugs are only safe for the individuals who actually have prescriptions for them. That's because a doctor
has examined these people and prescribed the right dose of medication for a specific medical condition. The doctor has
also told them exactly how they should take the medicine, including things to avoid while taking the drug — such as
drinking alcohol, smoking, or taking other medications. They also are aware of potentially dangerous side effects and can
monitor patients closely for these.
Other people who try prescription drugs are like Todd. They think they're not doing anything illegal because these drugs
are prescribed by doctors. But taking drugs without a prescription — or sharing a prescription drug with friends — is
actually breaking the law.
Which Drugs Are Abused?
The most commonly used prescription drugs fall into three classes:
1. Opioids
Examples: oxycodone (OxyContin), hydrocodone (Vicodin), and meperidine (Demerol)
Medical uses: Opioids are used to treat pain or relieve coughs or diarrhea.
How they work: Opioids attach to opioid receptors in the central nervous system (the brain and the spinal cord),
preventing the brain from receiving pain messages.
2. Central Nervous System (CNS) Depressants
Examples: pentobarbital sodium (Nembutal), diazepam (Valium), and alprazolam (Xanax)
Medical uses: CNS depressants are used to treat anxiety, tension, panic attacks, and sleep disorders.
How they work: CNS depressants slow down brain activity by increasing the activity of a neurotransmitter called GABA.
The result is a drowsy or calming effect.
3. Stimulants
Examples: methylphenidate (Ritalin) and amphetamine/dextroamphetamine (Adderall)
Medical uses: Stimulants can be used to treat narcolepsy and ADHD.
How they work: Stimulants increase brain activity, resulting in greater alertness, attention, and energy.
Over-the-Counter Drugs prescription drugs
Some people mistakenly think that prescription drugs are more powerful because you need a prescription for them. But
it's possible to abuse or become addicted to over-the-counter (OTC) medications, too.
For example, dextromethorphan (DXM) is found in some OTC cough medicines. When someone takes the number of
teaspoons or tablets that are recommended, everything is fine. But high doses can cause problems with the senses
(especially vision and hearing) and can lead to confusion, stomach pain, numbness, and even hallucinations.
Whether they're using street drugs or medications, drug abusers often have trouble at school, at home, with friends, or
with the law. The likelihood that someone will commit a crime, be a victim of a crime, or have an accident is higher when
that person is abusing drugs — no matter whether those drugs are medications or street drugs.
Like all drug abuse, using prescription drugs for the wrong reasons has serious risks for a person's health. Opioid abuse
can lead to vomiting, mood changes, decrease in ability to think (cognitive function), and even decreased respiratory
function, coma, or death. This risk is higher when prescription drugs like opioids are taken with other substances like
alcohol, antihistamines, and CNS depressants.
CNS depressants have risks, too. Abruptly stopping or reducing them too quickly can lead to seizures. Taking CNS
depressants with other medications, such as prescription painkillers, some over-the-counter cold and allergy
medications, or alcohol can slow a person's heartbeat and breathing — and even kill.
Abusing stimulants (like some ADHD drugs) may cause heart failure or seizures. These risks are increased when
stimulants are mixed with other medicines — even OTC ones like certain cold medicines. Taking too much of a stimulant
can lead a person to develop a dangerously high body temperature or an irregular heartbeat. Taking several high doses
over a short period of time may make a drug abuser aggressive or paranoid. Although stimulant abuse might not lead to
physical dependence and withdrawal, the feelings these drugs give people can cause them to use the drugs more and
more often so they become a habit that's hard to break.
The dangers of prescription drug abuse can be made even worse if people take drugs in a way they weren't intended to
be used. Ritalin may seem harmless because it's prescribed even for little kids with ADHD. But when a person takes it
either unnecessarily or in a way it wasn’t intended to be used such as snorting or injection, Ritalin toxicity can be
serious. And because there can be many variations of the same medication, the dose of medication and how long it
stays in the body can vary. The person who doesn't have a prescription might not really know which one he or she has.
Probably the most common result of prescription drug abuse is addiction. People who abuse medications can become
addicted just as easily as if they were taking street drugs. The reason many drugs have to be prescribed by a doctor is
because some of them are quite addictive. That's one of the reasons most doctors won't usually renew a prescription
unless they see the patient — they want to examine the patient to make sure he or she isn't getting addicted.
Many different signs can point to drug addiction. The most obvious is feeling the need to have a particular drug or
substance. Changes in mood, weight, or interests are other signs of drug addiction.
If you think you — or a friend — may be addicted to prescription drugs, talk to your doctor, school counselor, or nurse.
They can help you get the help you need. It's especially important for someone who is going through withdrawal from a
CNS depressant to speak with a doctor or seek medical treatment. Withdrawal can be dangerous when it's not
monitored.
If someone has become addicted to prescription drugs, there are several kinds of treatment, depending on individual
needs and the type of drug used. The two main categories of drug addiction treatment are behavioral and
pharmacological.
Behavioral treatments teach people how to function without drugs — handling cravings, avoiding drugs and situations
that could lead to drug use, and preventing and handling relapses. Pharmacological treatments involve giving patients a
special type of medication to help them overcome withdrawal symptoms and drug cravings.
What if a doctor prescribed a medication for you and you're worried about becoming addicted? If you're taking the
medicine the way your doctor told you to, you can relax: Doctors know how much medication to prescribe so that it's
just enough for you. In the correct amount, the drug will relieve your symptoms without making you addicted.
If a doctor prescribes a pain medication, stimulant, or CNS depressant, follow the directions exactly. Here are some
other ways to protect yourself:
Keep all doctor's appointments. Your doctor will want you to visit often so he or she can monitor how well the
medication is working for you and adjust the dose or change the medication as needed. Some medications must be
stopped or changed after a while so that the person doesn't become addicted.
Make a note of the effects the drug has on your body and emotions, especially in the first few days as your body gets
used to it. Tell your doctor about these.
Keep any information your pharmacist gives you about any drugs or activities you should steer clear of while taking your
prescription. Reread it often to remind yourself of what you should avoid. If the information is too long or complicated,
ask a parent or your pharmacist to give you the highlights.
Don't increase or decrease the dose of your medication without checking with your doctor's office first — no matter
how you're feeling.
Finally, never use someone else's prescription. And don't allow a friend to use yours. Not only are you putting your
friend at risk, but you could suffer, too: Pharmacists won't refill a prescription if a medication has been used up before it
should be. And if you're found giving medication to someone else, it's considered a crime and you could find yourself in
court.
Prescription drug use is on the rise in U.S.
By STEVEN REINBERG HEALTHDAY November 4, 2015, 10:28 AM
More Americans than ever are taking prescription drugs and they're using more of them, a new study finds.
Fifty-nine percent of adults used prescription drugs in 2011-2012, up from 51 percent in 1999-2000. And 15 percent of
them took five or more prescription drugs, an increase from 8 percent in the earlier period, the researchers reported.
Cholesterol-lowering drugs (statins), antidepressants and high blood pressure medications saw especially notable jumps
in usage, the study found. "We wanted to create a comprehensive resource on prescription drug use among U.S. adults,
and I think that the implications of these trends vary across classes of drugs," said lead researcher Elizabeth Kantor, who
was with the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston at the time of the study.
Kantor said an increase in one drug class may mean more people are getting treated for a given condition or may reflect
a change in the nation's underlying health needs.
Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center, said the upside to increasing use of modern
medications is a decline in the U.S. death rate. Modern medicines are often effective in treating disease and preventing
premature death, he said.
"But, of course, not dying isn't the same as truly living, and that leads to the very ominous implications of this trend,"
said Katz, who is also president of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.
Many drugs are being used to treat avoidable conditions, Katz said.
For the study, published Nov. 3 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Kantor and her colleagues used data
from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to determine trends in prescription drug use among nearly
38,000 adults aged 20 and older between 1999-2000 and 2011-2012. Participants were asked about their prescription
drug use in the previous 30 days.
By 2011-2012, the researchers found that:
-Twenty-seven percent of adults were taking high blood pressure drugs, up from 20 percent a decade earlier.
-Statin use more than doubled -- from seven percent to 17 percent. The overall prescription drug leader was simvastatin
(Zocor), taken by nearly eight percent of adults. Just two percent took it in 1999-2000.
-Use of antidepressants nearly doubled, increasing from seven percent to 13 percent.
-Among 18 types of drugs used by more than 2.5 percent of Americans, use increased for 11 medication types.
-Significant increases were seen only in people aged 40 and older, not among those 20 to 39.
Increasing use of certain drugs may reflect the growing need to treat conditions associated with being overweight and
obese, the researchers said. Many of the 10 most commonly used drugs in 2010-2011 treat high blood pressure,
diabetes and high cholesterol, which are related to diet, exercise and weight, the study authors said. Another drug,
omeprazole, is used to treat acid reflux, which can be exacerbated by obesity.
After Zocor, the top 10 included lisinopril (Prinivil), levothyroxine (Levothroid), metoprolol (Lopressor), metformin
(Fortamet), hydrochlorothiazide (Aquazide H), omeprazole (Prilosec), amlodipine (Norvasc), atorvastatin (Lipitor), and
albuterol (Ventolin, Proventil). Use of all except atorvastatin increased over the study period.
Katz said a healthy lifestyle can prevent most of the chronic diseases these drugs treat.
"Consider the irony. Here in the U.S., we aggressively peddle foods that propagate illness, and drugs to treat the illness
that ensues. 'Big Food' and 'Big Pharma' are the winners -- we and our families, the losers," he said.
Obama announces new steps to combat heroin, prescription drug abuse
By Steven Mufson and Katie Zezima October 21
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Faced with a nationwide epidemic of heroin and prescription drug abuse, the Obama
administration announced Wednesday that it will take steps to increase access to drug treatment and expand the
training of doctors who prescribe opiate painkillers. The efforts, which President Obama unveiled at a forum here, are
likely to have a modest effect on the steep increase in heroin and prescription drug overdoses, which now kill more
people than car accidents each year, and the barriers to treatment that many addicts face.
The administration hopes to double the number of doctors who can prescribe buprenorphine, a drug used to treat
opiate addiction, to 60,000 from 30,000 over the next three years. More than 40 medical provider groups have
committed to training more than half a million doctors, dentists and others on the safe prescription of opiate
medications. The announcement underscores Obama’s “sense of urgency that we at the federal level can do more to
address this issue,” said Michael Botticelli, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Obama sat onstage with others for a discussion that included questions from the audience, and much of the focus was
on treating drug abuse as an illness rather than a crime. One West Virginia woman, Carey Dixon, gave an emotional
account of what it was like being a family member of an addict, fearful of phone calls and the absence of phone call.
Wednesday’s announcement is part of a broader effort to fight opiate addiction and crack down on the overprescribing
of powerful drugs. There has been a steep increase in the number of heroin overdoses nationwide, with deaths from the
drug quadrupling in the past decade. Many who abuse heroin initially used prescription painkillers. “This is such an
epidemic. You cannot arrest your way out of this mess,” said Charleston Police Chief Brent Webster, who
has served in the city’s police department for 20 years. The Obama administration this year proposed $133 million in
new spending to curb overprescribing, increase the amount of overdose data collected and expand access to Naloxone,
a drug that can reverse the effects of an opiate overdose. In August, the administration announced an initiative to pair
drug enforcement officers with public health workers to trace heroin routes, and it tightened prescribing rules for a
popular painkiller. While offering sympathy, the president had little to offer in the way of money. Congress must act on
his budget proposal, and that looks unlikely as negotiations drag on to keep the government open.
Obama said repeatedly that this should not be a partisan issue, but like many other proposals, funding for drug
treatment faces an uphill battle. The Obama administration’s drug policy is largely predicated on the idea of shifting
people with drug problems away from the criminal justice system and toward treatment, a tactic that members of both
parties have embraced. The plan announced Wednesday also doubles the number of providers that can prescribe
Naloxone. Additionally, CVS plans to expand the number of states where its pharmacies will dispense Naloxone without
a prescription, and Rite Aid will train 6,000 pharmacists on Naloxone use over the next year.
Obama issued a memorandum Wednesday instructing federal agencies to train the doctors they employ in proper
prescribing of opioids and to identify barriers to medication-assisted treatment for employees enrolled in their
healthcare plans. Despite the announcements, many barriers remain to treatment, with many addicts unable to access
the help they need because of insurance rejections or overburdened facilities.
The Affordable Care Act requires insurers to treat addiction like any other medical condition. But that portion of the law
went into effect for many insurance plans only in January. Obama said the government should “push a little bit more” on
insurance companies to offer coverage. “The notion that you’re going to cover a broken leg but not going to cover an
illness in which your child might die? That doesn’t make sense,” he said. In West Virginia, a law passed this year allows
emergency responders, medical personnel, and friends and family members of addicts to administer Naloxone.
West Virginia — the home of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell — is the epicenter of
America’s opiate epidemic, where more than a decade ago people started getting hooked on prescription drugs.
According to the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, West Virginia has the highest
rate of drug overdose deaths in the country — 33.5 per 100,000 people — accounting for more than one-third of the
state’s overall injury deaths.
David Grubb, a member of the audience who has five daughters, one of whom is fighting heroin addiction, made a plea
for more treatment facilities. After rescuing her from one overdose, Grubb said he called addiction hot lines and was
told that there was a three-month wait for a spot in a treatment facility.
“It took forever to find a place for her. Right now, she’s in Michigan. Why can’t we have more of these facilities here in
West Virginia, close to home?” Grubb said to applause. Botticelli is a champion of using opiate drugs including
buprenorphine for medication-assisted treatment, a practice that is controversial. The drugs are prescribed by a doctor
who monitors the patient and tapers the dosage, eventually weaning the person off opiates.
The administration plans to expand a pilot program in which medication-assisted treatment is offered to people in
federal prisons. The corrections system typically does not offer treatment, forcing people to detox while incarcerated.
They often relapse after being released. The White House has also made drug court funding contingent on the court
offering medication-assisted treatment. “That doesn’t make sense to me, just sending out more medication­assisted
treatment,” Rep. Tim Murphy (R­Pa.) said in an interview earlier this year.
The Department of Health and Human Services plans to additionally change the rules on medication­assisted treatment;
currently, doctors can prescribe to only 30 patients in the first year after being approved to dispense the medications,
and they are capped at 100 patients. The administration is working to take a federal approach to an issue that is often
tackled at the state level. Many states have made it easier to access Naloxone as a way to curb the number of overdose
deaths. The drug has saved many lives, and some states have made it available without a prescription. But some
treatment advocates are leery of relying too much on the drug, which doesn’t steer addicts away from heroin.
The president made a reference to his own addiction to nicotine and his use of Nicorette gum. “Nicotine is as addictive
as anything else,” he said. But he said if it was possible to get smoking rates down, more effective education, limits on
advertising and treatment could bring down other addiction rates, too. Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin (D), who dedicated
his entire state of the state speech last year to heroin abuse, said reducing overprescribing of opiates must be a priority.
“I am incredibly encouraged by the steps President Obama is announcing today, especially his efforts to further the
conversation about how we deal with pain management in America,” Shumlin said in a statement.
Obama said the nation also needs to cast away the shame of addiction. “We can’t fight this epidemic without eliminating
stigma,” he said. “With no other disease do we wait until people are a danger to themselves and others. . . . This is an
illness, and we’ve got to treat it as such” Meeting on a side street near the Roosevelt Neighborhood Center before
Obama spoke, leaders of some local social service groups said they could use even more support from Washington.
Standing in front of a group of blue plastic kindergarten chairs on a grassy lawn, Carey Jo Grace, a community organizer
with the Our Children, Our Future Campaign, said that at least one of the 30 chairs held a child who would eventually die
of a drug overdose. Obama, she said, “has the power to do something about it with the stroke of a pen.” She said that
West Virginia needs more money for rehabilitation programs. West Virginia’s Department of Health and Human
Resources estimates that the state has about 60,000 people in need of treatment competing for 750 beds. “There are
people who need to drive hours if their name comes up on a waiting list,” she said. “More funds for treatment is just
critical,” said the Rev. Jeff Allen, head of the West Virginia Council of Churches. But, he added, pastors had to do more to
“change the culture of churches to take away any shame so people can turn to their pastors and congregations.”
Prescription Drug article questions. Complete sentences needed.
Name: _______________ Per: ___
1. In reference to “Prescription Drug Abuse: What is it? Background Info”, why do some people abuse prescription
drugs?
2. Give an example of how taking too much OTC drugs can be harmful for the body:
3. List 3 dangers of abusing medications:
4. List 2 ways someone might be able to tell if they’re addicted to medications:
5. Summarize the ways in which someone could responsibly take medications prescribed to them:
6. Write a 1 paragraph summary of the article, “Prescription drug use is on the rise in U.S.” A summary should tell me
the most important details only. What is the author trying to tell us?
7. In the article, the author states the most commonly prescribed pills are used to treat what sorts of medical
conditions?
8. What are two reasons mentioned in the article why more people are being prescribed medication?
9. “Katz said a healthy lifestyle can prevent most of the chronic diseases these drugs treat.” This is extremely important
to understand. What does the author mean, that the researcher stated that a healthy lifestyle can prevent chronic
diseases. What is meant by healthy lifestyle? AND (answer this as well), how do YOU think this prevents diseases (like
the kinds mentioned in the article)?
10. Write a 1 paragraph summary of the article, “Obama announces new steps to combat heroin, prescription drug
abuse.” A summary should tell me the most important details only. What is the author trying to tell us?
11. Mentioned in the article, “Obama announces new steps to combat heroin, prescription drug abuse”, what two drugs
KILL MORE PEOPLE than car accidents?
12. In your opinion, why do doctors need training on the addictiveness of prescription pain killers?
13. In your opinion, why do you think advocates want addiction to be seen as a disease, rather than a crime?
14. Explain how Naloxone works.
15. What are some of the issues regarding medical treatment (including access to treatment) for addiction that people
are facing when trying to get help?
16. What are some positive things the government is working on in to help drug addiction?
17. Though helpful short-term, what are things Naloxone CANNOT do?
18. In your own opinion, what steps should the government take to help with drug addiction? This should be in your
own opinion.