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What Is Prescription Drug Abuse?

Friday, October 30, 2009
Related Tags: drugs | abuse | nachtigal | physician | medication
 

Instructions

Facts

  • Step 1:
    According to the Office of Drug Control Policy about two and a half percent of Americans over the age of 12 have abused prescription drugs.

Identifying

  • Step 1:
    People who are abusing prescription drugs often have intense variation in their emotional state. Suspicions of a prescription drug abuser should arise if the individual is consistently misplacing prescription drugs or asking for prescriptions from different medical professionals.

Effects

  • Step 1:
    The primary effect is the user will become unable to function without the medication. Depending on the drug, this addiction can lead to physical and emotional damage and possibly death.

Misconceptions

  • Step 1:
    The thinking that prescription drugs are not harmful because a physician prescribed them is faulty. The use of any medication for reasons other than the original purpose at amounts other than the intended dosage can cause harm to the body, even if doctor-prescribed.

Prevention

  • Step 1:
    The best way to prevent abuse of prescription drugs is to take them only as prescribed by a physician. Keeping prescription drugs out of the reach of children and teenagers can help prevent prescription drug abuse.

Photo/Video Credit

Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Lee Nachtigal

What Is Prescription Drug Abuse? Provided by eHow.com
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