Prescription Drug Addiction Facts

Most people who are prescribed medications take them responsibly. However, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that the abuse of and addiction to prescription drugs is growing in the United States. In fact, it is estimated that 20 percent of the population has used prescription drugs for reasons not medically related. This is but one of the alarming facts surrounding prescription drug addiction.

Significance

• According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the abuse and addiction to prescription pain medication is the nation's second-most prevailing drug problem. It falls behind marijuana use but ahead of all other drugs such as heroin, crystal meth and cocaine.

Types

• The three most commonly abused prescription drug classes include opiates (painkillers such as vicodin and morphine), depressants (barbiturates such as Mebaral, and benzodiazepines such as Xanax, which is used to treat anxiety, panic and sleep disorders), and stimulants (ADD and ADHD medications such as Adderall and Ritalin).

Effects

• The Office of National Drug Control Policy reports that prescription drug addiction is now a serious and growing concern among the nation's adolescents, as the number of teenagers reporting the intentional use of prescription drugs to get high is becoming an escalating trend.

Considerations

• The National Institute on Drug Abuse explains how the fight against prescription drug addiction comes with a unique set of challenges: Prescription medications are legal substances and require legitimate access, but the control of these substances, and the education and prevention efforts regarding their abuse, must remain paramount.

Treatment

• Prescription drug addiction treatment is approached through two different channels: pharmacological (medication used to counter the effects of withdrawal when use of the drug is ceased) and behavioral (individual counseling, contingency management and family therapy, all intended to improve the patient's ability to function without the drug).

Warning

• The availability of online pharmacies provides easy access to prescription medication even without a prescription, making the abuse of prescription drugs easy for even children and adolescents.