Transcript Prescription Drug Abuse

"I shall be telling this with a sigh,
somewhere ages and ages hence: Two
roads diverged in a wood., and I, I took the
one less traveled by, and that has made all
the difference.“
-Robert Frost, American Poet
 Think about your own life and any
experiences you can relate to the quote.
 What did you learn from last class?
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I can identify the reasons people abuse
prescription drugs.
I can identify why abusing prescription drugs
is so harmful.
I have gained the knowledge necessary to
make smart choices when it comes to the
abuse of prescription drugs.
Prescription drug abuse is:
 the intentional use of a
medication without a
prescription.
 It is estimated that 20% of people in
the United States have used a
prescription drug for non-medical
reasons.
 WHY?
 Turn to seat buddy and verbally
brainstorm why people might take
prescription drugs for non-medical
reasons.
Can anyone tell me
what
your generation
is
best known as?
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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7582787/ns/h
ealth-addictions/t/generation-rx-teensabusing-prescriptions/
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In 2009, 16 million Americans age 12 and older had
taken a prescription pain reliever, tranquilizer,
stimulant, or sedative for nonmedical purposes at
least once in the year prior to being surveyed.
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The NIDA-funded 2012 Monitoring the Future Study
showed that
 1.3% of 8th graders, 4.4% of 10th graders, and
7.5% of 12th graders had abused Vicodin
 1.6% of 8th graders, 3.0% of 10th graders, and
4.3% of 12th graders had abused OxyContin
▪ Both for nonmedical purposes at least once in
the year prior to being surveyed.
1). Misperceptions about
their safety.
- Because these medications are prescribed by
doctors, many assume that they are safe to take
under any circumstances.
- This is not the case: prescription drugs act
directly or indirectly on the same brain systems
affected by illicit drugs; thus their abuse carries
substantial addiction liability and can lead to a
variety of other adverse health effects.
 2) Increasing environmental
availability.
Between 1991 and 2010, prescriptions
for stimulants increased from 5 million
to 45 million, a 9-fold increase, and
opioid analgesics increased from about
30 million to 180 million, a 6-fold
increase.
Varied motivations for
their abuse.
Underlying reasons include: to get high; to
counter anxiety, pain, or sleep problems; or
to enhance cognition (although they may, in
fact, impair certain types of cognitive
performance). Whatever the motivation,
prescription drug abuse comes with serious
risks.
2012
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Since 1999, overdose deaths from narcotic
painkillers in the U.S. have quadrupled.
Every day, they kill 45 people and send 1,370 to
emergency rooms.
By contrast, cocaine kills 12 people a day and heroin
kills eight.
The number of people addicted to pain relievers
grew from 936,000 in 2002 to 1.4 million in 2011.
About a third of the addicts are 18 to 25.
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Decreased or obsessive interest in school
work
Fatigue, red or glazed eyes and repeated
health complaints
Sudden mood changes, including irritability,
negative attitude, personality changes, and
general lack of interest in extracurricular
activities
An extreme change in peer group or hangout
location
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Opioids—usually prescribed to treat pain.
 Examples: Oxycodone (OxyContin), Vicodin,
Percocet
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CNS depressants—used to treat anxiety and
sleep disorders.
 Examples: Valium, Xanax, Lunesta
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Stimulants—prescribed to treat ADHD and
narcolepsy
 Examples: Adderall, Concerta, Ritalin
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Oxycodone is used to relieve moderate to
severe pain. Oxycodone is in a class of
medications called opiate (narcotic)
analgesics. It works by changing the way the
brain and nervous system respond to pain.
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Video clip from a pharmacist explaining the
drug…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmZWZ
Nsmc4s&feature=player_detailpage
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heroin
Because OxyContin, like
and other opioids, is a
central nervous system depressant, an overdose can
cause respiratory failure and death. Some symptoms of
OxyContin overdose include:
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Slow breathing (respiratory depression)
Seizures
Dizziness
Weakness
Loss of consciousness
Coma
Confusion
Tiredness
Cold and clammy skin
Vicodin is a narcotic pain reliever
typically used to treat moderate to
severe pain.
 Vicodin works by blocking nerve
receptors that tell the brain that your
have pain somewhere in your body. In
other words, communication is
interrupted from your pain to the brain.
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Problems associated with Vicodin:
 Taking a large single dose of an opioid could cause
severe respiratory depression that can lead to death.
 Effects of an overdose are clammy skin, convulsions,
slow and shallow breathing, coma, and possible
death.
 Some side effects of using this drug are fast or slow
heartbeat, trouble breathing, swelling of the face,
hives, skin rash, itching, hallucinations, changes in
behavior, severe confusion or tiredness, yellowing of
the skin or eyes, drowsiness, dizziness or weakness,
dry mouth, nausea or vomiting, constipation,
headache, & blurred vision.
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http://www.drugfreeworld.org/real-lifestories/prescription-drug-use.html
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The abuse of prescription drugs is on the rise.
Abusing prescription drugs is not only
potentially harmful to your health, but could
in fact kill you.
Know what you are taking before you take it
and consider the risks.