Prescription Drug Misuse
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Because at the end of the day, prescription drug misuse is NOT what the doctor ordered.
Most people take medicines only for the reasons their doctors prescribe. But according to a recent University of Michigan survey of 3,600+ university students, at least 20 percent of the students surveyed reported taking prescription drugs just to get high. Where do you fit in?
Q. If you have a tooth pulled, and your dentist gives you a refillable Vicodin prescription for pain, would you use only the pills you need and throw out the rest? Or would you keep the rest and use them to get high?
Q. Do you think prescription drugs that come from a medicine chest are safer to use than street drugs, such as cocaine or heroin?
Q. Do you think you’re less likely to get addicted to prescription drugs, such as painkillers, tranquilizers and stimulants, just because a doctor gives them to you?
Q. Would you use a prescription drug that wasn’t yours to lose weight, cram for an exam, chill out at the end of the day or “perform” better socially or academically?
If you answered “Yes” to even one of these questions, you’d better think again.
Just because you can get prescription drugs from your family’s medicine chest, from a doctor or even on the Internet, doesn’t mean they are safe to use.
In fact, students who misuse prescription drugs are at higher risk for also misusing other drugs and alcohol.
Don’t look now, but the most dangerous drugs today are likely to come from your local pharmacy. When taken as prescribed, powerful time-released drugs like Ritalin, Adderall and OxyContin treat conditions like Attention Deficit Disorder and chronic pain. But without a doctor’s supervision, each of these drugs may cause serious hazards to your health—and life-threatening reactions.
RITALIN® and OTHER STIMULANTS
Street names: Rids, Vitamin R, pineapple, uppers, Jif
What is it? A stimulant in pill or tablet form
How is it used? Swallowed; crushed into powder and inhaled or mixed with water and injected
What are its short-term effects? Increases energy, alertness and euphoria; reduces appetite; may cause hallucinations
What are its long-term effects? Increasing tolerance and addiction; irritability and depression; insomnia; irregular heartbeat; paranoid psychosis
How does it interact with alcohol? Disguises the effects of both; increases the risk for overdose
Legal or illegal? Ritalin®, Aderall® and Cylert® are legal prescription drugs—but it’s illegal to use them, share them, sell them or even possess them unless they are prescribed for you.
OXYCONTIN®
Street names: Hillbilly heroin, Oxycotton, Oxy
What is it? A highly potent opiate-based tablet or capsule for severe pain
How is it used? Swallowed; crushed into powder and snorted or dissolved into water and injected
What are its short-term effects? Intense heroin-like euphoria; may be accompanied by slurred speech, drooling, sluggish movements, slowed breathing
What are its long-term effects? Physically and psychologically addictive, with severe withdrawal symptoms, including muscle and bone pain, diarrhea and vomiting
How does it interact with alcohol? May suppress vital functions like breathing, and lead to death
Legal or illegal? OxyContin®, Demerol®, Percocet® and Vicodin® are legal prescription drugs—but it’s illegal to use them, share them, sell them or even possess them unless they are prescribed for you.
PROZAC, PAXIL & OTHER ANTIDEPRESSANTS
Street names: happy pills
What is it: A pill or tablet that changes the balance of a chemical, usually serotonin, in the brain
How is it used: Swallowed
What are the short-term effects: You may not feel much; most antidepressants take weeks to kick in, so short-term effects are typically minimal
What are the long-term effects: Sleep disturbances, sexual dysfunction, weight gain, addiction; unprescribed use may cause chemical imbalances in the brain and emotional disturbances
How does in interact with alcohol? Combined use increases risk for overdose and may also worsen depression, sometimes leading to suicide
Legal or illegal? Antidepressants are legal prescription drugs—but it’s illegal to use them, share them, sell them or even posses them unless they are prescribed for you
VALIUM, XANAX & OTHER ANTI-ANXIETY DRUGS
Street names: downers, goof balls, tranks, xanies, xan bars, footballs
What is it: A pill or tablet that effects the central nervous system
How is it used: Swallowed, or crushed and snorted
What are the short-term effects: Reduced anxiety, lowered inhibitions, poor concentration and coordination, decreased sexual interest, slowed reflexes, cloudy judgment
What are the long-term effects: Sleep disturbances, memory problems, mental confusion, addiction; unsupervised withdrawal may be life-threatening; large doses can cause respiratory failure and death
How does in interact with alcohol? Both impair motor and memory skills and slow respiration; combined use increases risk for overdose and death
Legal or illegal? Antidepressants are legal prescription drugs—but it’s illegal to use them, share them, sell them or even posses them unless they are prescribed for you
AMBIEN, LUNESTA & OTHER SLEEPING PILLS
Street names: sleepers, A-minus, zombies
What is it: A pill or tablet prescribed for insomnia
How is it used: Swallowed
What are the short-term effects: Drowsiness, dizziness; may cause morning-after “hangover,” facial swelling; severe allergic reaction possible
What are the long-term effects: Daytime drowsiness, sleep behaviors such as sleep eating and sleep driving, persistent headache, blackouts and memory loss; stopping abruptly may cause withdrawal symptoms, including anxiety, nightmares, muscle cramps, vomiting and shakiness
How does in interact with alcohol? Combined use increases sedative effect; may cause dizziness, confusion, fainting, respiratory failure and death
Legal or illegal? Sleep aids are legal prescription drugs—but it’s illegal to use them, share them, sell them or even posses them unless they are prescribed for you
STEROIDS
Street names: ‘rhoids, juice
What is it? A manufactured hormone-like drug similar to testosterone; available in tablet or liquid form
How is it used? Swallowed or injected
What are its short-term effects? Increases muscle mass and athletic performance; may also cause acne, high blood pressure, liver tumors, jaundice and ‘rhoid rage
What are its long-term effects? Hypertension, heart disease, wild mood swings; women may stop menstruating and develop beards and other masculine characteristics; men may develop breasts, shrunken testicles and become impotent
How does it interact with alcohol? Combined use increases risks for heart and liver disease, as well as for aggression and violent mood disturbances
Legal or illegal? It is illegal to produce, possess or use steroids for non-medical purposes
Resources:
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2007). Harmful interactions: Mixing alcohol with medicines. Bethesda, MD. Available online at:
http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/Medicine/medicine.htm
National Institute on Drug Abuse