Posts Tagged dangers of prescription drugs

Dangers of Abusing Depressants and Stimulants

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Addiction, Prescription Drug Abuse on December 30th, 2009

It may come as a surprise to some, but the truth is that you don’t really need to go very far to find addicting drugs. Some believe that the dangerous drugs are only available in the streets, and that you can’t find them anywhere else. On the contrary, even the most common of drugs in the market can be dangerous if taken non-medically and in unreasonably large doses.

prescription drug abuseSo, what are the most commonly abused prescription drugs? Depressants, which include the very common cough syrup and painkillers, are highly abused prescription drugs. Abusers often take these because they like the sense of being numb, of being unable to feel any kind of pain or anxiety. This artificial state of induced calm can be dangerous in the long-term, especially in the case of central nervous system depressants, which can permanently alter a person’s mental state adversely.

Stimulants are also highly abused prescription drugs. Most prescription drugs of this type are often used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy, since these are the type of drugs that give you an artificial sense of being energetic and high, but abusers often take them as “performance enhancers”. Stimulants can be extremely dangerous as they can cause a person to behave more aggressively toward his peers and colleagues, and the euphoria that the drugs seem to bring also alter a person’s rational thinking.

Although prescription drugs are available legally and can be bought from your local pharmacy, using them for reasons other than what has been prescribed by doctors can be dangerous and even deadly.

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Buying Prescription Drugs Without Prescription

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Prescription Drug Abuse on December 2nd, 2009

The Internet is such a complex entity. For one, its existence has afforded us great convenience in so many ways that it becomes almost impossible to enumerate them all. On the other hand, the Internet has also opened the gates for several dangerous possibilities. One of these would be the abuse of prescription drugs.

prescriptionAlthough “doctor shopping” has been a recent concern, with drug dealers and abusers hopping from one doctor to another to get hold of as many prescriptions – thus, prescription drugs – as possible, dispensing certain drugs only when one has a prescription is still our best strategy to fight prescription drug abuse. With the proliferation of online pharmacies, however, many of which do not require a prescription, the battle becomes much more daunting.

What’s even more bothering is that several online pharmacies not only sell prescription drugs without a medical prescription, but they also heavily advertise that they do. A simple search in Google or Yahoo will give you the links to pharmacies that invite you to “buy cheap prescription drugs with no prescription”. This means that it is actually very easy to get access to these drug stores.

The wisdom of having to get a prescription before buying medicines lies heavily on the fact that we need to have ourselves checked by a health care professional first before we take anything in. Our doctors would know if the drug is safe for us or if another treatment is more appropriate.

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Prescription Drugs Deadlier than Cocaine and Heroin

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Prescription Drug Abuse on December 1st, 2009

According to a statewide report on drug-related deaths in Florida, tagged as the nation’s capital for “pill mills”, prescription drugs have overtaken cocaine and heroin as the deadliest drugs.

prescription drugsThe study found that the painkiller oxycodone, with brand names such as Xanax and Valium, and the addiction-treatment drug methadone caused the most drug-related deaths in Florida during the first half of the year. These deaths are highly preventable if only medical practitioners are more careful in prescribing these drugs and are more vigilant in checking other practitioners who may be prescribing painkillers in large numbers.

Governor Charlie Crist has already signed the law that requires pharmacists and peddlers of addictive drugs in the state to submit sales reports to a database. This database aims to check possible drug dealers or abusers who go from one doctor to another, as if shopping for prescription drugs, or who get pills from multiple sources.

A survey by The Partnership for a Drug Free America also reveals that one in five teens admit of experimenting with legal medication. This disturbing trend in prescription drug abuse is also causing significant damage to our youth, who may be getting their drug fix within their very own homes.

The US Drug Enforcement Agency advises parents to talk to their children about the risks of abusing prescription drugs and inspect medicine cabinets at home to take regular inventories. Prescription drugs are meant to help patients deal with pain or discomfort, but in the wrong hands, they can be extremely dangerous.

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