Prescription Drug Abuse Case Study

Substance abuse disorders have been considered a major epidemic by public health authorities during this century. Most recently, those who use, and abuse opioids have been in the spotlight. The growing number of overdoses, deaths, and individuals who are identified as opioid abusers has, of late, been the subject of media attention. Now coined “The Opioid

Opioids are being over prescribed in the United States resulting in increased deaths by drug overdose. Pain medication strategies are being looked into as substitutes for pain management. Over decades, the amount of medicine being prescribed has more than tripled. State policies regarding the medication were implemented and who'd a small decrease in the likelihood of opioid prescriptions. Nationally, death rates are on the rise. Studies monitoring prescription drugs do not account for illegal opioids and manufactured fentanyl. While not mentioned in this article, there is a possible correlation between young people prescribed opioids and illegal drug use seeing that overdoses are common in patients already abusing their prescription medication, yet overdose death being most common after

An epidemic is on the rise and is hitting closer to home than one may expect. From the hospitals to the pharmacies and the medicine cabinets of many Americans, the damage prescription opioids are causing have been detrimental. Prescription opioids being medication that is meant to alleviate extreme pain, has induced more damage into the users life with its controversial side effects, and death in an abundant amount of cases. The issue revolving around prescription opioids does not just stay within the parameters of the dangerous medicine itself, but in addition the expansion of loose laws and corruption within the medical industry. This rise in the prescription opioid epidemic has been created by a contribution of physicians, pharmaceutical industry and a misconception of the medicine in the eye of the public. Even with all these factors in play, there is still hope to bring an end to the prescription opioid drug ring, with the combination of current laws and hopeful laws and restrictions in the future. The epidemic of prescription opioids has gone on for far too long and has caused an obscene amount of critical damage to the lives of many for the issue to be ignored any longer. Usage of prescription opioids must be reduced to ensure the safety of patients and to stop further abuse and death.

Opioid abuse is deadly and silently decimating families across the country. It is legally used for a medication to treat severe pain but commonly used for patients after they come out of a surgery.The Opioid epidemic is a national health issue that needs to be addressed, and made a widespread topic of discussion.

Opioid abuse is a growing epidemic within the United States. Not only are people abusing the prescription forms of opioids (such as oxycodone - OxyContin, hydrocodone - Vicodin, codeine, and morphine) by taking more than they are supposed to, but they are also being bought, sold, and used on the streets illegally; such as heroin. Opioids are highly addicting because of the high they can induce in a person, causing a dependence and yearning for continued use (NIDA, n.d.) In 2007, the United States was responsible for over 99 percent of the global consumption of hydrocodone and 83 percent of the global consumption of oxycodone (United Nations Publications, 2009).

The United States currently faces an unprecedented epidemic of opioid addiction. This includes painkillers, heroin, and other drugs made from the same base chemical. In the couple of years, approximately one out of twenty Americans reported misuse or abuse of prescriptions painkillers. Heroin abuse and overdoses are on the rise and are the leading cause of injury deaths, surpassing car accidents and gun shots. The current problem differs from the opioid addiction outbreaks of the past in that it is also predominant in the middle and affluent classes. Ultimately, anyone can be fighting a battle with addiction and it is important for family members and loved ones to know the signs. The cause for this epidemic is that the current spike of opioid abuse can be traced to two decades of increased prescription rates for painkillers by well-meaning physicians.

It is likely that at some point in a person’s life it will be necessary to obtain medical assistance due to a chronic illness, injury, or sudden accident that requires a physician’s diagnosis and perhaps prescription medication. Although this very routine happening may be necessary, and at times critical, the adverse effects of taking prescription drugs that contain opioids can lead to an addiction, possible overdose, and death. The research contained continues the debated topic focusing on the connection between heroin addiction and massive numbers of people who developed a dependency after taking legally prescribed opioid pain medicine. The topic will be

Mr. Smith is a 34 year old male who presented to the ED with feelings of dehydration, weakness, nausea, and suicidal ideation with a plan to stab himself with a knife. He denies prior attempts of harming himself. He reports currently not on any medications. Dr. Osborne requested a mental health assessment. Prior to mental health assessment this clinician spoke to Diann, the clinician who assessed Mr. Smith on 6/2/17. She reports he reported to her this morning, he was recently released from Rowan 2 days ago and since then has been homeless. He presented guarded and making conflicting statements about mental health history and substance abuse history. At the time of the assessment Mr. Smith appears guarded with a flat affect. He reports 2 days

Since the 1960’s heroin use disorders has become worse when pertaining to societal issues since Heroin an opioid drug made from morphine, which is a natural substance this various opium poppy plant is highly addictive. Heroin may be smoked, snorted, or injected, the reason for this use has increased across the United States particularly amongst gender, various age groups, and typically all income levels through legal and illegal purchase of this drug. Several dynamics contribute to the severity of the recent societal prescription drug abuse which is problematic from a global perspective. Basically the number of prescriptions written by physicians that’s distributed to patients. Partaking in countless social acceptability of using medications

My brochure is meant to bring awareness to the options for help with battling a prescription opioid drug abuse. I created this brochure because I know that North Carolina has a problem with prescription drug abuse; I found that the rate of overdoses have been increasing. I chose to start my opening panel with a hook in order to draw attention. I found the image first of a person holding bars made of different pills. That image gave me the idea of comparing drug dependence to a life sentence because people end up staying dependent on opioids for their life or in some cases, die after an overdose.

Layla is in and out of the home of Megan (aunt). Brandon is Meagan’s son. Layla’s mother, Tiffany, is a drug addict and she is in and out of jail every few months. Tiffany abuses various drugs. Meagan is being physically abused in the home by her boyfriend, William. William has abused Meagan several times within the last few months. Meagan has been to the hospital as well from the abuse. Meagan is about 3 months pregnant as well. It is unknown if she has had complications with her pregnancy because of the abuse. William is suspected to be abusing various drugs, because he has a history of drug abuse. It is unknown if drugs are done around the children, and it is unknown if he is high around the children. It is unknown if the children have been

Opioid drugs are some of the most widespread pain medications that we have in this country; indeed, the fact is that opioid analgesic prescriptions have increased by over 300% from 1999 to 2010 (Mitch 989). Consequently, the number of deaths from overdose increased from 4000 to 16,600 a year in the same time frame (Mitch 989). This fact becomes even more frightening when you think about today; the annual number of fatal drug overdoses in the Unites States now surpasses that of motor vehicle deaths (Alexander 1865). Even worse, overdose deaths caused by opioids specifically exceed those attributed to both cocaine and heroin combined (Alexander 1865).

Drug addiction is a problem that has become a major issue in today’s society. Prescription drugs make it easy to treat everything from common cold symptoms to mental health problems and everything in between; however, the general public is constantly receiving mixed messages about the evils of drug use. The pharmaceutical industry brings in millions of dollars each year through aggressive advertising promising the positive results of drugs with minimal side effects. Of course, prescription drugs can be very effective in treating illnesses, but overuse or abuse of any drug can lead to dependence and serious addiction. Opioid drugs, for example, have been over-prescribed for pain relief purposes and abused recreationally for many years. The opioid epidemic has since emerged as one of the worst drug crises in American history. Easy access to opiates and the feelings these drugs can produce has caused an addiction epidemic. More commonly known as “The Opioid Crisis”, this issue has a tight grip on our society. The epidemic has become one of the most pressing public health concerns and will take a collaboration of medical professionals, health care services, and the patients themselves to find an answer to opioid addiction affecting our nation today.

It doesn’t take extensive research to understand that prescription drug abuse is increasingly affecting our lives and our society. Prescription drug abuse is currently a severe public health problem. Drug overdose is one of the leading causes of death and is often perceived as a larger threat than other accidental deaths because the threat, prescription drugs, are often kept inside the home. They can be obtained from the pharmacy or medicine cabinet, so they may appear safer than they truly are. According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2015, 12.5 million people misused prescription opioids1. This number doesn’t take into account the non-opioid prescription abuse that is occurring. In June of this year, the FDA announced it would be taking increasingly forceful steps to combat opioid crisis. In addition to opioids, depressants, which treat anxiety and sleep disorders such as Valium and Xanax also have a high rate of abuse, as well as stimulants which treat ADHD and ADD such as Adderall, and Ritalin4. The current rates of opioid abuse fail to include these additional medications with high potential to be abused that also make up a large portion of abuse in prescription drugs. In this paper, I will be outlining several key points that deal with substance abuse. I will be focusing on prescription substance abuse more specifically and how it seems to relate to social and behavioral outcomes as a whole.

Prescription drug abuse has reached epidemic proportions. President Trump has deemed the United States addiction to prescription opiates a national crisis (Dye). Recent estimates suggest nearly two percent of Americans have at one time abused prescription medication. Prescription drug addiction results in families torn apart, many lives destroyed, and in too many cases, death. Some people think that by solely focusing on prescription drug abuse, physicians may steer clear from prescribing necessary medications for patients who need them. This thinking could not be further from the truth. Physicians’ focus on responsibly prescribing opioids is changing, and as scary as it seems, many physicians wrestle with how they can prescribe certain medications so that their patients are relieved of pain without becoming addicted to that drug. It is a perplexing problem for our country’s physicians. With over 2.6 million people addicted to opioids, including heroin, fentanyl, and oxycodone, the grim face of the nation’s opioid epidemic is a societal nightmare (Nolan). "Fatal opiate overdoses have now surpassed automobile accidents as the number one cause of accidental deaths in this country today" (Trump). Everyone is playing the blame game as to the epidemic's causes and solutions. The number one target is America’s physicians. Although they hold the keys to prescribing these prescriptions, this crisis by no means can be corrected solely by them. A multidisciplinary approach,