Informative Essay: Prescription Drug Use And Abuse
Prescription Drug Use and Abuse
It was supposed to be a short course of treatment with tranquilizers after the death of her infant son 15 years ago. But Lynn Ray, 46, of Germantown, Md., says her abuse of the anti-anxiety drug Xanax and other prescription drugs led to a long struggle with addiction that nearly ruined her life.
Tranquilizers, which slow down the central nervous system and cause drowsiness, numbed Ray's agony, helped her sleep, and untied the relentless knot in her stomach. Soon, even if her doctor had prescribed one pill in an eight-hour period, she took two or three in an attempt to intensify the calming effect of the drug.
When the doctor stopped writing prescriptions for her and encouraged grief counseling, Ray began doctor-shopping--going from doctor to doctor, fabricating panic attacks, backaches, migraines, and other ailments that would get her multiple prescriptions for tranquilizers and pain killers. "I became a very good actress," Ray says. "I thought I needed these drugs no matter what, even if I had to bamboozle the doctors to get them."
Most patients take medicine responsibly, but approximately 9 …show more content…
They must maintain complete and accurate records of all quantities manufactured, purchased, and sold. Drugs with higher abuse potential are subject to more restrictions than other drugs. For example, registered handlers must use a special order form to obtain Schedule II drugs. And orders for these drugs must be written and signed by practitioners and not phoned into the pharmacy except in an emergency. Prescriptions for Schedule II drugs also may not be refilled; patients have to go back to the doctor first. Those convicted of unlawful manufacturing, distributing, and dispensing of controlled substances face fines, prison sentences, or
It was supposed to be a short course of treatment with tranquilizers after the death of her infant son 15 years ago. But Lynn Ray, 46, of Germantown, Md., says her abuse of the anti-anxiety drug Xanax and other prescription drugs led to a long struggle with addiction that nearly ruined her life.
Tranquilizers, which slow down the central nervous system and cause drowsiness, numbed Ray's agony, helped her sleep, and untied the relentless knot in her stomach. Soon, even if her doctor had prescribed one pill in an eight-hour period, she took two or three in an attempt to intensify the calming effect of the drug.
When the doctor stopped writing prescriptions for her and encouraged grief counseling, Ray began doctor-shopping--going from doctor to doctor, fabricating panic attacks, backaches, migraines, and other ailments that would get her multiple prescriptions for tranquilizers and pain killers. "I became a very good actress," Ray says. "I thought I needed these drugs no matter what, even if I had to bamboozle the doctors to get them."
Most patients take medicine responsibly, but approximately 9 …show more content…
They must maintain complete and accurate records of all quantities manufactured, purchased, and sold. Drugs with higher abuse potential are subject to more restrictions than other drugs. For example, registered handlers must use a special order form to obtain Schedule II drugs. And orders for these drugs must be written and signed by practitioners and not phoned into the pharmacy except in an emergency. Prescriptions for Schedule II drugs also may not be refilled; patients have to go back to the doctor first. Those convicted of unlawful manufacturing, distributing, and dispensing of controlled substances face fines, prison sentences, or