David Todd Loffert's Addiction To Prescription Drugs

What does a father, mother, son, daughter, doctor, nurse, police officer, Sunday school teacher, taxi driver, principal, student, and friend have in common? The answer may very well be an addiction to prescription drugs. When a doctor prescribes pain medication for a back injury or abscess tooth, no one plans on becoming a drug addict. However, David Todd Loffert is a perfect example of how an intelligent, young man in the prime of his life became addicted to prescription medication and lost his job, family, home, and credibility. At 31 years old, Loffert was in his 2nd year of medical school and had published 6 peer reviewed medical papers. He owned and operated a respiratory medicine consulting business and developed a device for respiratory
who abuse prescription medications. Prescription drug abuse ranges from taking a friend’s pain killers for a tooth ache to snorting ground up pills to get high. Taking medication that is not prescribed to you or taking it in ways or amounts not intended by a doctor is defined as prescription drug abuse. It is estimated by The National Institutes of Health that 20 percent of people living in the United States have used prescription drugs for non-medical reasons (Prescription drug abuse and addiction, n.d.). Prescription drug related deaths now outnumber those from heroin and cocaine combined, and drug overdose deaths exceed motor vehicle-related deaths in 29 states and Washington, D.C. (Prescription drug abuse, 2013). More than six million Americans abuse prescription drugs according to the 2011 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Prescription drugs are the third most commonly abused category of drugs, behind alcohol and marijuana and ahead of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine (Prescription drugs, 2015). The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), which monitors emergency room visits in selected areas across the Nation, reported that approximately 1 million ER visits in 2009 could be attributed to prescription drug abuse (How many people suffer,
Sedatives and tranquilizers are among this class of medication. Among the medications commonly prescribed for these purposes are benzodiazepines, non-benzodiazepine sleep medications, and barbiturates. A few examples of benzodiazepines are Valium, Xanax, Klonopin, and Librium which are prescribed to treat acute stress, anxiety, and panic attacks. Rohypnol is a tranquilizer that is not prescribed in the United States but it available in Europe and Latin America. It is about ten times more potent than Valium (What is Rohypnol, n.d.). This pill is often crushed, snorted, dissolved, or injected. It is known as the “date-rape” drug because the effects are paralyzing. The victim is unable to resist due to loss of muscle control, sleepiness, and confusion and most often cannot recall what happened. Some benzodiazepines like Halcion and ProSom are more sedating to treat sleep disorders. Some CNS’s causes memory problems and leads to seizures. and Due to the risk of dependence or addiction, benzodiazepines are not prescribed long