Prescription Drug Abuse and what to do about it
The misuse and abuse of prescription drugs is proliferating in our community, most commonly amongst youthful people who have little idea of what they are consuming! They use 'uppers' to pick themslves up, and 'downers' to settle themselves back down, regularly with startling, and on occasion lethal, results.
Most folks who take prescription medications use them responsibly. However, the inappropriate or non-medical use of prescription drugs is a serious public health issue. Non-medicinal use of prescription meds like opioids, central nervous system (CNS) depressants, and 'uppers' can lead to addiction, characterized by compulsive drug cravings and use.
Patients, healthcare professionals, and pharmacists all have roles to play in preventing ill use and addiction to prescription medicines. Patients ought to read all information furnished by the pharmacist. Nurses should screen for any type of drug abuse during normal history-taking, with questions concerning which prescriptions and over-the-counter (OTC) medications the patient is taking and why, and must note any rapid increases in the amount of a medication needed or recurrent requests for refills before the quantity prescribed must have been used, as these may be symptoms of abuse.
While many prescription drugs can be abused or misused, these three classes are most commonly abused:
* Opioids - frequently directed to treat pain.
* CNS Depressants - used to treat nervousness and sleep disorders.
* Stimulants - prescribed to treat narcolepsy and attention-deficit disorder.
Opioids
Optoids are commonly intended because of their helpful analgesic properties. Studies have shown that appropriately managed medical use of opioid painkilling compounds is safe and rarely results in addiction.
Taken exactly as intended, opiates can be used to control pain effectually. Among the compounds that fall within this class - at times referred to as narcotics - are morphine, codeine, and related medicines.
Opioids act by attaching to specific proteins termed opioid receptors, which are found in the brain, spinal cord, and intestinal tract. When these compounds affix to particular opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord, they can effectually change the way a person experiences pain.
Opioids act by attaching to particular proteins known as opioid receptors, which are found in the brain, spinal cord, and intestinal tract. When these compounds affix to specific opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord, they can efficiently change the way a person experiences pain.
In addition, opioid drugs can affect areas of the brain that mediate what we perceive as satisfaction, resulting in the initial exhilaration that many opioids produce. They can also yield tiredness, be a cause of constipation, and, depending upon the amount taken, depress breathing. Taking a substantial single dose could result in severe respiratory failure or even death!
Opioids may interact with other meds and are only safe to use with other drugs under a general practitioner's direction. Typically, they should not be used with medications such as alcohol, antihistamines, barbiturates, or benzodiazepines.
Since these substances slow breathing, their combined effects may lead to life-threatening respiratory depression. Long-term use also can lead to bodily dependence, where the body adapts to the existence of the substance and withdrawal side effects ensue if use is reduced abruptly. These indicators can include 'tolerance', which indicates that greater doses of a medication must be taken to obtain the same initial results.
Central Nervous System (CNS) Depressants
CNS 'downers' can be divided into two groups, based on their chemistry and pharmacology: Barbiturates, such as mephobarbital (Mebaral) and pentobarbitalsodium (Nembutal), which are used to treat anxiety, tension, and sleep problems. Benzodiazepines, such as diazepam (Valium), chlordiazepoxide HCl (Librium), and alprazolam (Xanax), which can be prescribed to treat nervousness, severe stress responses, and panic attacks.
There are many CNS depressants, and most act on the brain similarly - they make changes to the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Neurotransmitters are brain chemicals that facilitate communication between brain cells. GABA operates by reducing brain activity.
There are many CNS depressants, and most act on the brain similarly - they affect the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Neurotransmitters are brain chemicals that assist communication between brain cells. GABA works by decreasing brain activity.
CNS depressants ought to not be combined with any medication or substance that causes drowsiness, including prescription pain meds, specific OTC cold and hypersensitivity meds, or alcohol. If combined, they can slow breathing, or slow both the heart and breathing, which can be fatal.
CNS depressants ought to not be combined with any medication or substance that results in sleepiness, including prescription pain meds, particular OTC cold and allergy drugs, or alcohol. If combined, they can slow breathing, or slow both the heart and respiration, which can be deadly.
Discontinuing protracted use of high amounts of CNS depressants can lead to withdrawal. Because they work by slowing the brain's activity, a potential outcome of abuse is that when one stops consuming a CNS depressant, the brain's activity can rebound to the point that seizures can ensue. Someone thinking about ending their use of a CNS depressant, or who has stopped and is afflicted by withdrawal, must talk with a physician and seek medical treatment.
Stimulants
Stimulants intensify alertness, responsiveness, and energy, which are accompanied by increases in blood pressure, pulse rate, and inhalation. Historically, 'uppers' were used to treat asthma and other lung problems, overweightness, neurological problems, and a selection of other problems.
As their potential for abuse and addiction became apparent, the use of stimulants started to wane. Now, 'uppers' are prescribed for treating only a few health conditions, including narcolepsy, attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and depression that has not responded to other therapies. Stimulants may also be used for short-term treatment of obesity and for people with asthma.
Stimulants such as dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine) and methylphenidate (Ritalin) have chemical structures that are similar to key brain neurotransmitters called monoamines, which consist of norepinephrine and dopamine. Stimulants escalate the levels of these chemicals in the brain and body. This, in turn, increases blood hypertension and pulse rate, constricts blood vessels, increases blood glucose, and opens up the pathways of the respiratory system. In addition, the increase in dopamine is connected with a sensation of elation that can accompany the use of 'uppers'.
Research shows that folks with ADHD do not become dependent to stimulant medications, such as Ritalin, when taken in the form and dosage prescribed. However, when ill-used, stimulants can be addictive.
The results of stimulant abuse can be extremely dangerous. Taking high doses of a stimulant can result in an uneven heartbeat, seriously high body temperatures, and/or the potential for heart failure or fits. Taking high doses of some stimulants frequently over a short period of time can lead to hostility or feelings of fear in some individuals.
Stimulants must not be blended with antidepressants or OTC cold drugs containing decongestants. Antidepressants may improve the effects of a stimulant, and 'uppers' in combination with decongestants may cause blood pressure to become perilously high or lead to irregular heart rate.
Treatment of addiction to prescription 'uppers', such as methylphenidate and amphetamines, is based on behavioral therapies that have established helpful for treating cocaine or methamphetamine addiction. At this time, there is no one confirmed medication used for the management of stimulant addiction. Antidepressants, however, may be used to deal with the symptoms of depression that can accompany initial abstinence from stimulants.
Article Source: http://www.search-raven.com
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