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Abuse of prescription drugs is on the rise
December 15th, 2009
A recent article in the UCLA health system magazine Vital Signs talks about the increased prevalence of prescription drug abuse.
Apparently, at 20%, prescription drugs are now the most commonly abused group of substances after alcohol and marijuana. With the same prevalence among teens, this is certainly a concern.
The article notes a few indicators of abuse, though for those knowledgeable in addiction matters, there are no surprises on this list:
- Increasing dose or frequency without consulting doctors (sign of tolerance).
- Going to different doctors for same medication (spending a lot of time getting or using the drug).
- Getting medications from sources other than physicians (such as illegal sources).
- Stealing medications from friends and family (interrupting social functioning).
- Continuing to use the medication despite adverse consequences.
The article goes on to describe possible treatments, but the most interesting suggestion was the inclusion of drug-testing in physicians’ offices and the use of national databases to keep track of the medication that people have and are being prescribed.
Good ideas.
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| Posted in: Drugs, Education, For others, Prescription, Tips Tags: doctor, physician, prescription, teen, UCLA |
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One Response to “Abuse of prescription drugs is on the rise”Leave a Reply | |
I agree about the in-office drug testing. I think also that mandatory drug testing should become a part of high school physicals, required for participation in sports. Especially given the prevalence of use among teens and college students.