Prescription Drug Abuse Statistics

Prescription drug abuse statistics in the U.S. and around the world are rising at an alarming rate. It seems that a lot of focus is going away from recreational drugs and towards the illicit use and diversion of prescription drugs. One of the main reasons for this problem is that prescription drugs can be obtained fairly easily and legally, and the price tends to be lower than other illicit recreational drugs. For example, there are an estimated 800,000 web sites which sell prescription drugs online and will ship these drugs to households no questions asked. Current prescription drug abuse statistics show that about one-third of all U.S. drug abuse can be attributed to prescription drugs.

There is also a very marked increase in student related prescription drug abuse statistics. Students used prescription drugs to help them through finals and to ease the stress of college life. The abuse of the stimulant Ritalin, a drug used for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), is of particular concern. The ill effects that are a result of misusing prescription drugs is often not recognized until it is too late. Individuals who abuse prescription drugs often don�''t realize that misuse of these drugs can cause devastating consequences and even death.

Emergency Room and Mortality Prescription Drug Abuse Statistics:

• As of 2000, 43% of individuals who ended up in hospital emergency rooms were there for drug overdoses. Almost a half million people were there because of misusing prescription drugs.
• As of 200 in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Seattle, and Washington, DC, 626 people died from overdose of painkillers and tranquilizers. Just one year later, such deaths had increased in Miami and Chicago by 20 percent.
• From 1998 to 2000, individuals entering an emergency room because of misusing hydrocodone (Vicodin) rose by 48 percent, oxycodone (OxyContin) by 108 percent, and methadone by 63 percent. From mid-2000 to mid-2001, oxycodone went up in emergency room visits an additional 44 percent.
• Disturbing Prescription Drug Abuse Statistics and Trends
• Illicit drug abuse, particularly for middle and high school teens, seemed to slow down in 2002 after a half a decade increase. Prescription drug abuse however continues to climb.
• Over the past decade-and-a-half, prescription drug abuse statistics show that new teens and young adult abusers of prescription painkillers such as oxycodone (OxyContin) or hydrocodone (Vicodin) has grown five-fold (from 400,000 in the mid-eighties to 2 million in 2000).
• New abusers of medications used to treat tension and anxiety such as as diazepam (Valium) or alprazolam (Xanax, called "zanies" by youth) went up nearly 50 percent in one year (700,000 in 1999 to 1 million in 2000).
• Prescription drug abuse statistics show that an astounding 17 percent of adults over 60, abuse prescription drugs.
• Over 19 million prescriptions for ADHD drugs were filled in 2000, a 72 percent increase since 1995. A study of students in Wisconsin and Minnesota showed that 34 percent of ADHD youth age 11 to 18 reported being approached to sell or trade their medicines, such as Ritalin.
• Among youth aged 12 to 17, girls are more likely than boys to use psychotherapeutic drugs non-medically.