Prescription Drug Abuse in Springfield, MO

Prescription drug abuse is a growing problem across the world. While illegal drugs get most of the media attention, prescription opiates and other substances are responsible for more problems than any other drug class. Prescription drug abuse can easily lead to dependence and addiction over time, with professional treatment often needed to break the bonds of addiction. Most prescription drug abuse concerns three classes of medications; opiates, sedatives, and stimulants. If you or someone you know is living with prescription drug abuse, it’s important to get professional help as soon as possible.

Prescription Drug Abuse Statistics

Prescription drug abuse is a huge problem in the United States and across the world. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), over 52 million adult Americans have misused or overused prescription medications during their life, including 8.76 million people each year and 6.1 million people each month. Opiates are the most widely abused type of prescription drugs by far, represented in 5.1 million cases each year. According to NIDA, sedatives are the second most widely abused drug class, represented in 2.2 million cases, followed by stimulants with 1.1 million cases. In one amazing and mind-boggling statistics, Americans consume 75 percent of the world’s supply of prescription drugs while only accounting for 5 percent of the population.

How are Prescription Drugs Abused?

Prescription drugs can be abused in many ways, with the drugs in question influencing how they are misused and overused. Common methods of abuse include increasing dosage levels, mixing drugs, using a different method of administration than intended, buying drugs or scripts on the black market, and taking drugs prescribed for someone else. While prescription drugs are generally abused in a recreational context, some people have been known to abuse stimulant drugs in an effort to enhance mental or physical performance. According to NIDA, most people who abuse prescription drugs obtain them directly from friends and family members for free, with others purchasing them from drug dealers or getting them legitimately from doctors. A practice known as “doctor shopping” is often used to obtain medications from multiple doctors.

Commonly Abused Prescription Drugs

Opiates are the most commonly abused class of prescription drugs, including morphine, codeine, methadone, Oxycontin, Vicodin and many others. Opiates are generally prescribed to relieve pain and abused to induce feelings of euphoria and relaxation. A combination of medical detox and rehab is needed to treat opiate addictions due to the existence of potentially dangerous withdrawal symptoms. Opiate replacement therapy is sometimes used to treat severe and treatment-resistant opiate addicts, with this form of pharmacotherapy involving the administration of methadone or buprenorphine while dosage levels are reduced over time.

Sedatives are the second most commonly abused drug class, including barbiturates and benzodiazepines such as Valium, Serax, Xanax, and Klonopin. These drugs also require an initial medical detox period to help reduce the severity of withdrawal symptoms. Stimulants include a range of medications prescribed for obesity and ADHD, with these medications often treated through psychotherapy measures alone. If you need to access help for any kind of prescription drug problem, Springfield Drug Treatment Centers can help. Just give our recovery advocates a call at (217) 318-3600 today.