Signs of Prescription Drug Abuse

Prescription drugs are important tools in treating and alleviating symptoms of medical problems. However, many of these medications have the potential for abuse. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, prescription drug abuse is defined as the use of prescription drugs for non-medical reasons. There are certain warning signs exhibited by an individual who may be abusing prescription drugs.

Losing Prescriptions

• Prescription drug abusers tend to exceed the dosage that they are prescribed in order to experience a "high" from the medication. As a result, abusers may claim to have lost or misplaced prescriptions in order to accumulate more of the drug to feed the addiction.

Seeing More Than One Doctor

• Doctors are adept at spotting the signs of prescription drug abuse, and will not prescribe more of a drug than is needed. This often results in the drug abuser seeing one or more different doctors in order to get extra prescriptions.

Taking High Dosages

• Every prescription comes with a dosage ordered by a doctor. "Doubling up" doses or taking the medication more frequently than prescribed is a serious sign of prescription drug abuse.

Changes in Mood

• Most of the prescription drugs that people abuse cause some sort of mood shift. The abuser may be irritable, lethargic or generally unhappy until he achieves the euphoria, or "high," associated with abusing the medication.

Forging Prescriptions

• Some prescription drug abusers attempt to forge prescriptions after their doctor has discontinued prescribing the medication. Not only is this a sign of abuse, but it is a federal offense.

Solution

• A doctor can recommend drug rehabilitation therapy, and groups such as Narcotics Anonymous are excellent support mechanisms for a person caught in prescription drug addiction.