MOST COMMONLY ABUSED PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

OPIOIDS INCLUDE:

Fentanyl (Duragesic)

Hydrocodone (Vicodin)

Oxycodone (OxyContin)

Oxymorphone (Opana)

Propoxyphene (Darvon)

Hydromorphone (Dilaudid)

Meperidine (Demerol)

Diphenoxylate (Lomotil)

CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM DEPRESSANTS INCLUDE:

Pentobarbital sodium (Nembutal)

Diazepam (Valium)

Alprazolam (Xanax)

STIMULANTS INCLUDE:

Dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine)

Methylphenidate (Ritalin and Concerta)

Amphetamines (Adderall)

SOURCE: http://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/prescription-drugs

We hear stories on the evening news about the epidemic abuse of illicit drugs in our nation. We hear the names of the ones peddled on street corners and in dark alleys: crack, meth, Ecstasy, marijuana — but what about the list of the most abused drugs in the nation: Vicodin, OxyContin, Xanax, Soma, fentanyl, Valium, Adderall, Ritalin?

These aren’t illicit drugs when taken as prescribed. In fact, the odds are that some of these are the same prescriptions you have filled after visiting your primary care physician. However, they have also become big business on the street and they are increasingly being abused by hardworking Americans who are anything but addicts — for now.

These drugs aren’t grown in “grow houses” or “cooked” in makeshift homemade labs; they are sold legally, and, in many cases, used legally by the person to whom they are prescribed.

But law enforcement and health care facilities are beginning to see the dark side of prescription drug (ab)use in America; they are seeing more than 40,000 deaths each year due to prescription drug overdose. And that number is on the increase. Research shows that anywhere from 7-10 million people presently abuse prescription drugs in the U.S., and some are just adolescents.

More than 70 percent of Americans take one prescription drug each day, more than 50 percent take two, and more than 20 percent take five prescription drugs… or more. With prescription drug use this prevalent and with the advent of new types of painkillers, stimulants, and antidepressants introduced onto the market almost daily, it has created the perfect storm for a prescription drug overdose epidemic.

What constitutes abuse?

• Taking more of a prescription drug than is advised by your physician or in a manner that is not consistent with his or her instructions, such as crushing a pill to “snort” the powder inside.

• Taking a drug for any other purpose than which it is prescribed, such as the ADHD drug Ritalin to lose weight.

• Taking a drug that is not prescribed specifically for you by a physician.

The most commonly prescribed abused prescription drugs in the nation are antibiotics, antidepressants, painkiller opioids, stimulants, and sedatives.

Although antibiotics are rarely involved in drug overdoses, their overuse is seen by many health officials as more dangerous than those of controlled medications. The frequent overprescribing of antibiotics is leading to the mutation of bacteria that were once easily curable into “super bugs” that cannot be contained and could soon cause major epidemics worldwide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that super bugs make hundreds of thousands of Americans seriously ill each year and kill tens of thousands of those infected — and those numbers are on the rise.

America is affected not only by use of antibiotics here but by their use around the world. DirectorGeneral of the World Health Organization Dr. Margaret Chan, speaking to European Union leaders at the Conference on Combating Antimicrobial Resistance, warned that something as relatively simple as a scratched knee could very easily once again become a fatal event to a person living in any country in the world, including the U.S.

Dr. Chan stated that international travel has greatly exacerbated the problem by exponentially increasing the spread of hospital-acquired infections that are highly resistant to first line antibiotics — and this trend is expected to increase.

Researchers are asking physicians to severely curb their use of antibiotics in order to head off what could possibly be a worldwide problem within a decade.

A recent study showed that antidepressants prescribed by non-psychiatrist physicians to treat medical disorders without a documented psychiatric diagnosis increased from 59.5 to 72.7 percent from 1996 to 2007. In 2007, more than 6 percent of all non-psychiatrist physician visits resulted in a prescription for an antidepressant.

Researchers are concerned that both patients and physicians are using psychiatric medications to treat social problems and the general stresses of daily life, instead of the serious concerns of chronic and debilitating depression.

Dr. Isaac Deas, a licensed mental health counselor and owner of Deas Consulting LLC in Tavares, agrees. “Doctors can easily misdiagnose adults and children and end up prescribing them an antidepressant they don’t need. Then if a par-

• When safe, use clinically proven natural antibiotics such as organic food and natural supplements.

• Research medications before taking them.

• Question the necessity of medications such as antidepressants or stimulants.

• Use prescription drugs only as directed and dispose of unused medication.

• Ask for non-narcotic, non-addictive painkillers if you have to use them. If you find they aren’t controlling your pain, ask to be referred to a pain specialist.

When it comes to dangerous, painkiller opioids top the list. They are highly addictive, not only to those who medically require them, but also to those who use them as recreational drugs.