Prescription Medication Abuse

The excessive use of prescription medications has become a major pandemic around the world. It seems that teenagers are familiar as to what prescription medication abuse is, and are not aware of how easy it is to become addicted. Statistics say that it is quite normal to overtake prescription medications at very adolescent ages. “In fact, use of prescription painkillers by teens between the ages of twelve and seventeen has jumped 10-fold since the 1960s” (Teens Increasingly Abuse Painkillers Science Daily). Even though commonly used drugs, such as Advil or Tylenol, are helpful for minor health problems; they are not meant to be taken in huge amounts. Teens are influenced by the atmospheres they are exposed to and have curious minds, which
Teenagers use prescription medications for any and every reason possible. Most of these reasons could mainly be to fulfill their overall purpose of abusing them. Boys and girls take prescription medications for reasons one may not be able to understand. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) states,” boys are more likely to abuse prescription stimulants to get high, while girls tend to abuse them to stay alert or to lose weight” (Prescription Drugs NIDA for Teens). For teenage girls, it is taken to heart and becomes a sensitive topic, because these are difficult issues that an average mass deal with, in some cases to feel better about themselves. Once teenage girls start relying on medication a little more, they start to realize that they feel worse than when they first started. There are three specific ways that prescription drugs can lead to abuse: Such as, “Taking someone else’s prescription
But, this drug may be well-known among teens known as the popular drug, Oxytocin. Similarly, “Opiates are painkillers, such as Vicodin and OxyContin, are used to manage moderate to severe pain” (Causes, Symptoms, and Effects of Prescription Drug Abuse). Because, they see that it is actually working, they begin to have a dependence on it. The effects are considerably harmful and can really affect the way their body moves and feels. There are also several other types of prescription medications that can affect teens mentally. Now, these can have an effect on teens by making them feel like they are not in reality, or other types of hallucinations. This includes, “Sedatives/Anti-Anxiety medications such as Xanax, Valium, Klonopin, and Ativan that are used to augment the high from another type of drug or as a means to bliss out and reduce stress and Stimulants, such as Ritalin or Adderall, which are prescribed to treat ADHD and used to provide a heightened sense of mental acuity among those who abuse them” (Causes, Symptoms, and Effects of Prescription Drug Abuse). Even though, they sound pretty helpful, it can potentially become very harmful in a matter of seconds. The chemical reactions that occur in someone’s body can produce many complications. The risk of overtaking sedatives, “Can result in brain damage, aggressiveness and violence, hallucinations and delusions, and