Addiction to Prescription Medications Research Papers

Not all individuals who are prescribed medication become addicts; however, there has been a growing volume of prescription medication abuse as of late. The combination of physical and psychological tolerance as well as the relative ease of obtaining prescription medications when compared to illicit street drugs is, perhaps, the greatest factor in the transition from dependence upon a medication to addiction and abuse.

Particularly susceptible to prescription drug abuse are the elderly who may not fully understand correct dosage instructions and young women who tend to visit doctors more regularly for minor ailments. Also highly vulnerable to abuse are individuals, often teenagers, who are prone to experimentation and try drugs to fit in with a particular crowd. The widespread fervor of physicians who are quick to write prescriptions complicates matters. In many cases, physicians are either too overloaded with work, inexperienced, or simply too lazy to spend adequate time ascertaining a correct diagnosis. Subsequently, it becomes much easier to appease the patient with a prescription. It is not surprising that anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications are, along with painkillers, the most widely-abused types of pharmaceuticals.

Unfortunately, over-reliance upon prescription medications creates both physical and psychological tolerance and, in many cases, can exacerbate the initial problem or create severe withdrawal symptoms once the patient’s supply runs out and refills are disallowed. Purchasing prescriptions on the black market or from foreign pharmacies is also on the rise, presumably due to these factors.