Prescription Drugs Research Paper

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Legal Drugs, Deadly Consequences As law-enforcement officials spend $15 billion a year combating the use and trafficking of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and other illegal narcotics, a more urgent crisis is emanating from the nation's pharmacies. According to a report from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), overdoses from prescription drug medication have tripled in the past decade. Deaths from prescription painkillers- a class of drugs that includes hydrocodone, methadone, oxycodone and oxymorphone- have reached epidemic levels. These drugs are widely misused and abused. Every year, nearly 15,000 people die from overdoses involving these drugs. The number of overdose deaths is now greater than those of deaths from heroin…show more content…
Prescription drug abuse is the use of a medication without a prescription, in a way other than as prescribed, or for the experience or feelings elicited. According to several national surveys, prescription medications, such as those used to treat pain, attention deficit disorders, and anxiety, are being abused at a rate second only to marijuana among illicit drug users. The consequences of this abuse have been steadily worsening, reflected in increased treatment admissions, emergency room visits, and overdose deaths. Explaining the…show more content…
Although most of these pills were prescribed for a medical purpose, many ended up in the hands of people who misused or abused them. First and foremost, prescribers and physicians should be subject to mandatory education and training on proper prescription practices and on the nature of addiction. For an example, methadone and oxycodone are very different drugs, yet they are often prescribed interchangeably, leading to unintentional overdose. The Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) should also be used. These are state-run electronic databases used to track the prescribing and dispensing of controlled prescription drugs to patients. They are designed to monitor this information for suspected abuse or diversion and can give a prescriber or pharmacist critical information regarding a patient’s controlled substance prescription history. This information can help prescribers and pharmacists identify high-risk patients who would benefit from early interventions. Currently, thirty-six states have operational Prescription Drug Monitoring

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