Prescription Drug Abuse Facts

There are many new studies highlighting some of the most recent prescription drug abuse facts which bring the problem into a whole new light. Although prescription drug abuse can effect just about anyone, some concerning trends show that it is becoming most prevalent among older adults, adolescents, and women. Studies suggest that prescription drug abuse is on the rise in the United States, and as of 2003 the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that an estimated 4.7 million Americans used prescription drugs non medically for the first time in 2002:

• 2.5 million used pain relievers
• 1.2 million used tranquilizers
• 761,000 used stimulants
• 225,000 used sedatives

The Drug Abuse Warning Network, which monitors medications and illicit drugs reported in emergency departments in the U.S., reported that two of the most frequently reported prescription medications in drug abuse-related cases are benzodiazepines (e.g., diazepam, alprazolam, clonazepam, and lorazepam) and opioid pain relievers (e.g., oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine, methadone, and combinations that include these drugs).

In 2002, benzodiazepines were responsible for 100,784 mentions that were classified as drug abuse cases, and opioid pain relievers were responsible for more than 119,000 emergency department mentions. Emergency department mentions of hydrocodone and oxycodone increased by 170 percent and 450 percent, respectively between 1994 and 2002, While ED visits attributed to drug addiction and drug-taking for psychoactive effects have been increasing, intentional overdose visits has not seen a similar increase. These prescription drug abuse facts are a trend seen around the country and the world, with no sign of slowing down or stopping.

Youth prescription drug abuse facts point to a real problem of abuse among America's young people. Data from the 2003 NSDUH show that 4.0 percent of youth ages 12 to 17 reported non medical use of prescription medications in the past month. Rates of abuse were highest among the 18-25 year olds (6.0 percent). Youth ages 12-13 reported a higher percentage of psychotherapeutic use (1.8 percent) than marijuana (1.0 percent). The NIDA Monitoring the Future survey of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-graders found that the non medical use of opioids, tranquilizers, sedatives/barbiturates, and amphetamines remained stable between 2003 and 2004. Specifically, the survey found that 5.0 percent of 12th-graders reported using OxyContin without a prescription in the past year, and 9.3 percent reported using Vicodin, making Vicodin one of the most commonly abused illicit drugs in this age group. Past year, 2.5 percent of 8th graders reported non medical use of tranquilizers (e.g., Valium, Xanax), and this prescription drug abuse statistic was 5.1 percent for 10th-graders, and 7.3 percent for 12th-graders. In the same time period, 6.5 percent of 12th-graders reported using sedatives/ barbiturates (e.g., Amytal, Nembutal) non-medically, and 10.0 percent used amphetamines (e.g., Ritalin, Benzedrine).

One interesting prescription drug abuse fact is that youth who abuse illicit drugs are more likely to abuse prescription medications. According to a 2001 survey, 63 percent of youth who had used prescription drugs non-medically in the past year also reported having used marijuana, compared with 17 percent of youth who had not used prescription drugs non medically in the past year.

In the 12- to 17-year-old age group, young women are more likely than young men to use psychotherapeutic drugs non medically. Additional research has found that women are at increased risk for non medical use of narcotic analgesics and tranquilizers (e.g., benzodiazepines).