Term papers on prescription drug abuse

Unlike illicit drug use, which shows abuse continuing downward trend, prescription drug abuse, particularly of opioid pain medications, has seen prescription continual rise through the s and has drug abuse stubbornly steady among persons 12 or older during recent years.

They are most dangerous term papers on prescription drug abuse taken to get high via methods that increase their addictive potential e.

Some people also term papers on prescription drug abuse prescription drugs for their intended purpose, though not as prescribed, thus heightening the risk of dangerous adverse reactions; and still others may become addicted even when they take them as prescribed.

Given that more than 30 million people suffer from chronic pain in this country, even abuse a fraction of this group takes prescription drugs for their pain and becomes addicted, it term papers on prescription drug abuse affect a large number of people.

I am pleased to have the opportunity today to share with you what we know about this complex multi-faceted problem.

Prescription Drug Abuse: Research Paper Examples - A Research Guide for Students

The psychotropic prescription drugs prescription drug that abuse abuse liability i. How they work is described briefly below:. Over the counter medications, such as certain cough suppressants containing dextromethorphan DXMare also abused for their psychoactive effects, term papers more info and dissociative "out-of-body" sensations.

However, overdose of DXM can also produce confusion, disorientation, motor impairment, blurred vision, nausea, rapid or irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, and loss of consciousness.

Several indicators show that abuse drug abuse is a significant problem in the United States.

Prescription Drug Abuse

Most reported abusing /essay-on-big-history.html term papers on prescription drug abuse relievers in particular. Young adults ages by far showed the greatest abuse overall and the largest increases in past month, term papers on prescription drug abuse year, and lifetime use between andcompared to all other age groups NSDUH, Still, even by the time they graduate from high school, roughly a quarter of 12th graders report having abused abuse prescription drug MTF, Other significant indicators of the prescription drug problem include the following:.

The far-ranging scope of prescription drug abuse in this country stems not only from the greater prescribing of medications, but also from misperceptions of their safety. For example, many students, and even some parents, see nothing wrong in the abuse of stimulants to improve cognitive function and academic performance.

In fact, being in college may even be a risk factor for greater use of amphetamines or Ritalin nonmedically, with reports of students taking pills before tests and of those with prescribed medications being approached to divert them to others. Pain relievers show a similar link with abuse to access. Evidence suggests that parents sometimes provide their children with prescription medications not prescribed by a physician for the child to relieve their discomfort.

Notably, the term papers on prescription drug abuse reason for the abuse is to relieve pain, although other top motives include intent link get high and experimentation.

Similar motivations characterize younger groups, with high school students reporting that they primarily abuse prescription drugs for the medications' term papers on prescription drug abuse link, albeit without a prescription.

Scientific Research on Prescription Drug Abuse

term papers on prescription drug abuse Using these medications without a prescription or in ways other than prescribed poses multiple risks, including dangerous just click for source with other medications, accidental poisoning, and risk of addiction.

Nonmedical term papers on prescription drug abuse among children and adolescents is particularly troublesome, given that adolescence is the period of greatest risk not term papers for drug prescription drug but also for developing addiction. At this stage, the brain is still developing and exposure to drugs could interfere with these carefully orchestrated developmental changes.

Today we know that the last part of the brain to fully mature is the prefrontal cortex, a region that governs judgment and decision-making functions.

This may help explain why teens are prone to risk-taking and to experimentation with alcohol term papers on prescription drug abuse other drugs.

Research also shows that adolescents who abuse prescription drugs are twice as likely to have engaged in delinquent behavior and nearly three times as likely to have experienced an episode of major depression compared to teens who did not abuse prescription medications over the past year. Finally, several studies link the illicit use of prescription drugs with increased rates of cigarette term papers on prescription drug abuse, heavy drinking, and marijuana and other illicit drug use in adolescents and young adults in abuse U.