Prescription Drug Abuse Essay

Prescription Drug Abuse Research Paper According to results from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an estimated 2.4 million Americans used prescription drugs non medically for the first time within the past year. This statistic averages to approximately 6,600 new people per day who are taking prescription drugs that were not prescribed to them, or are not needed to treat a serious condition anymore. More than one-half of the 2.4 million people taking prescription drugs for the first time are women, ,and about a third were aged 12-17. Prescription drug abuse is highest among young adults, ages 18-25. According to the NSDUH the most commonly abused prescription drugs are opiods, CNS depressants, and stimulants. Opiods are prescribed with the intention of helping to reduce/treat serious short term pain, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, and neuropathic pain. Opiods are related to opium, a natural pain-killing substance taken from poppy plants. These drugs are also called narcotics. Opiods come from plants other than poppies and can also be man-made. There are two basic types of opiods, short acting and long acting. Short acting opiods are taken for a short period of time to treat severe or sudden pain that occurs after surgery, fractures, infections, or during labor and childbirth. Long acting opiods are taken for a long period of time for “around the clock” relief of ongoing pain that last more than a few weeks or months. A person who abuses opiods will achieve a feeling of euphoria and relaxation. Many users describe this as a pleasant escape from day-to-day reality, like he/she is floating away from the cares of everyday life. Another term often used is “mellow”, to describe a seemingly inner peace the opiod produces. A person abuses opiods for an extended amount of time will develop a tolerance to the drug and will need to seek out more or higher dosages of the drug to obtain the same effect. When seeking out larger doses, and more of