Unintended Consequence of Prescription Drug Abuse Prescription drugs are the third most commonly abused drugs after alcohol and marijuana. Most of the people take prescription drugs as prescribed by their doctors. But somehow many people get addicted to prescription drugs as they don’t follow their doctors’ prescription. However, 20% of adults in the U.S. use prescription drugs for recreational purposes. Often people don’t even realize that they've got a problem with prescription drugs since they’ve started taking it as they’re prescribed by their doctors.
People of all ages’ abuse drugs for a number of reasons, including: • • • • •
To relieve stress and tension To get high or feel good To be accepted by peers To feed their addiction To reduce their appetite.
Common Unintended consequences of Prescription Drug Abuse Prescription drugs abuse has the same side effects on the body as other drugs including loss of appetite, increased heart rate, insomnia, nausea, etc. Prescription drug abuse often leads to negative effects including difficulty in a job, personal relationships, legal issues, and psychological issues, etc.
The drug abuse side-effects depend on the type and amount of medication used. Some of the common side-effects are as follows: • • • • • •
Psychological problems Illegal activities engagement Lowered productivity Decrease in confidence Difficulty in job or job loss Increase in accidents
Short-term effects of Drug Abuse • • • • • • • • •
Nausea Panic and psychosis Disturbed sleep patterns Loss of appetite Hallucinations, hyperexcitability, irritability Dilation of pupils Increased heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature Bizarre, erratic, sometimes violent behavior Convulsions, seizures, and death from high doses
Long-term effects of Prescription Drug Abuse • • • • • • • • • • •
Malnutrition, weight loss Depression Liver, kidney and lung damage Infectious diseases and abscesses( inject) Destruction of nose tissues (sniff) Respiratory issues (smoke) Permanent damage to blood vessels of heart and brain, high blood pressure leading to heart attacks, strokes and death Disorientation, confused exhaustion, laziness Strong psychological dependence Psychosis Damage to the brain including strokes and possibly epilepsy
Prescription drug abuse is a serious medical condition that needs a proper treatment by chemical dependency specialists.
How To Avoid Prescription Drug Abuse? Just make sure to take your prescription medicines as prescribed by your doctor. Moreover, if you feel like that you can’t afford your medications and should take opioids for your chronic pain, remember you can
use free prescription discount cards to buy your medications. These free Rx cards will help you get a discount of up to 75% of your medicines. Moreover, you can use these cards to keep a track of your medicines.
Source: https://medium.com/@rxdiscountcard/unintended-consequence-of-prescription-drug-abuse2a6b27a1fa6a