Vol. 34, No. 1, 44. Your Health.

• Author: by John Dolores, J.D., Ph.D. Director, Behavioral Health Services Cheyenne Regional Medical Center

Wyoming Bar Journal

2011.

Vol. 34, No. 1, 44.

Your Health

Wyoming Bar JournalIssue: February, 2011Your Healthby John Dolores, J.D., Ph.D. Director, Behavioral Health Services Cheyenne Regional Medical CenterPrescription drug abuse is a serious, growing problem in the United States. An estimated 20 percent of Americans have engaged in prescription drug abuse. Prescription drug abuse involves using prescribed medication for non-medical reasons, using prescribed medication for a reason other than that for which it was prescribed, or using prescribed medication in dosages other than the prescribed amount. This definition allows for abuse to be acute or chronic. The problem can often have a benign beginning. For example, a person who undergoes surgery is prescribed pain medication post-surgery. The person takes the pain medication exactly as prescribed until his/her physician begins to wean the person off of the pain medication. While weaning off of the pain medication, the person usually experiences withdrawal. Withdrawal can be a very unpleasant experience, which may lead the person to taking more of the pain medication than prescribed and start a cycle of addiction.

To help stem the tide of prescription drug abuse, it is important to be aware of the commonly abused and addictive prescription medications. There are three classes of prescription medications that lend themselves to abuse: opioids, central nervous system depressants, and stimulants. Opioids are prescribed for pain management. Some commonly prescribed opioids include: Vi-codin, Oxycontin, Dilaudid, and Demerol. Central nervous system depressants are primarily prescribed to treat anxiety and sleep disorders. Some commonly prescribed central nervous system depressants include: Xanax, Valium, and Ambien. Stimulants are used for the treatment of Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder and Narcolepsy. Some commonly prescribed stimulants include: Ritalin and Adderall. Of note, each of these classes of medications have important therapeutic uses. Because these medications can be addictive, that is not necessarily a reason to avoid...