Prescription Drug Use and Abuse

Prescription drugs can bring relief to people with medical conditions, however, if not taken correctly or abused, they can cause serious harm. Painkillers are the most common prescription drug people get addicted because of the alleviating effect they have.

• Signs of Addiction
• Sharing Prescriptions
• Physical Effects

Signs of Addiction

Addicts will generally go to a number of doctors and pharmacies in different states to obtain the drugs. Signs of a prescription-drug addiction include:

• Incorrectly following doctor's instructions for taking the medication.
  
• Mixing medications.
  
• Refusing to ask for help.

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Sharing Prescriptions

Another type of prescription drug abuse that has become popular recently is the sharing of prescription drugs between friends. Borrowing drugs that are prescribed for someone else is extremely dangerous. The drug can act very differently in a brain that does not need it medically.

For example, if you borrow Ritalin from a friend and you do not have ADHD, the drug will have some of the same effects as speed.

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Physical Effects

Below are some of the physical effects a user might experience when abusing or incorrectly taking prescription drugs:

• Feeling tired and/or lethargic (i.e. you just don't feel like doing anything).
  
• Having difficulty breathing.
  
• Having convulsions and/or seizures.

Last reviewed October 2012.
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