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Prescription medications such as pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives are very useful treatment tools but sometimes people do not take them as directed and may become addicted. Pain relievers make surgery possible, and enable many individuals with chronic pain to lead productive lives. Most people who take prescription medications use them responsibly. However, the inappropriate or nonmedical use of prescription medications is a serious public health concern. Nonmedical use of prescription medications like opioids, central nervous system (CNS) depressants, and stimulants can lead to addiction, characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use.

Patients, healthcare professionals, and pharmacists all have roles in preventing misuse and addiction to prescription medications. For example, when a doctor prescribes a pain relief medication, CNS depressant, or stimulant, the patient should follow the directions for use carefully, learn what effects the medication could have, and determine any potential interactions with other medications. The patient should read all information provided by the pharmacist. Physicians and other healthcare providers should screen for any type of substance abuse during routine history-taking, with questions about which prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines the patient is taking and why. Providers should note any rapid increases in the amount of a medication needed or frequent requests for refills before the quantity prescribed should have been used, as these may be indicators of abuse.

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. National Institute on Drug Abuse . (2002, September 24). NIDA InfoFacts: Prescription Drugs and Pain MedicationsWashington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved October 03, 2002 from the World Wide Web:http://www.drugabuse.gov/Infofax/PainMed.html

Statistics

Prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drug abuse accounted for a small fraction (3 percent) of the 1.6 million admissions reported to the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) in 1999. Prescription drugs in TEDS are grouped as follows: prescription narcotics (e.g., Demerol), prescription stimulants (e.g., Ritalin), tranquilizers (e.g., diazepam), and sedatives (e.g., Seconal). OTC drugs include aspirin, cough syrup, and any other legally-obtained nonprescription medication.

Nearly half (46 percent) of the 44,000 treatment admissions for primary prescription and OTC drug abuse in 1999 were for prescription narcotic drugs. Prescription stimulant drugs accounted for an additional one third (33 percent) of admissions, while tranquilizers accounted for 11 percent. Sedatives and OTC medications made up 7 percent and 2 percent of these admissions, respectively.

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. SAMHSA's Office of Applied Studies. (2002, July 11). DASIS Report: Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drug Abuse AdmissionsWashington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved September 20, 2002 from the World Wide Web:http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k2/OTCtx/OTCtx.htm