America has become a "pill-popping" nation. Over the last decade, the percentage of Americans who took at least one prescription drug in the past month increased by 10%. Multiple prescription drug usage increased by 20%, and the use of five or more drugs increased by 70%. Spending for prescription drugs also more than doubled from the years 1999 to 2008.
Other findings from a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) showed that prescription drug use increased with age. Women were more likely than men to use prescription drugs. The survey also indicated that the non-Hispanic white population had the highest prescription drug use and the Mexican-American population had the lowest.
The most commonly used drugs were asthma medicines for children, central nervous system stimulants for adolescents, antidepressants for middle-aged adults and cholesterol lowering and high blood pressure drugs for older Americans. Almost 40% of older Americans used five or more prescription drugs in the past month. This increase in prescription drug use has become a safety risk for older Americans that may also contribute to adverse drug events and increased healthcare costs.
The surge in prescription drug abuse
An unfortunate by-product of this increased prescription drug usage is the even more alarming increase of prescription drug abuse. A 2010 White House study found a 400% jump in substance abuse treatment admissions for prescription pain relievers between 1998 and 2008. Experts say that a lack of monitoring programs and Americans' unwillingness to handle even small pains partly explains this increase.
One of the biggest increases over the 10-year study was the increase in opiate admissions, mostly due to the increase of prescription opiods, which include painkillers such as Vicodin and Oxycontin. Perhaps most concerning is that a 2004 survey by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) found that 9.3% of 12th-graders report that they have used Vicodin without a prescription -- and 5% say that they have taken Oxycontin without a prescription! Overall, the number of emergency room admissions for misuse of prescription painkillers rose from 40,000 in 1994 to over 300,000 in 2008.
Why are certain drugs so addicting?
The most commonly abused drugs tend to be those that flood our brain with dopamine. The pleasurable, euphoric feeling that results can be 2 to 10 times the amount received from natural rewards (such as sex or eating) and, in some cases, much faster acting and/or longer lasting.
What factors influence a person's chances of becoming addicted to prescription medications?
While the general public may view drug abusers as people lacking in willpower or possessing behavioral flaws, multiple factors determine a person's likelihood of becoming addicted to certain medications. It is normally a combination of:
- Biology: Genetics play a large role in a person's vulnerability. Other biological influencers include ethnicity, gender and other mental disorders.
- Environment: Peer pressure comes to mind first but other environmental influencers include socioeconomic status, stress, history of physical or sexual abuse, family support and parental influence.
- Age (stage of one's development): The younger a person is when drug use begins, the greater their likelihood of developing addictions and abuse tendencies. As a person's brain develops, decision-making, judgment and self-control tend to improve and risk-taking behaviors tend to decrease.
What can be done to lessen a person's chances of becoming addicted to prescription (as well as that of over-the-counter medications and illegal drugs)?
When families, schools, communities and media work together to educated people on the dangers of drug ABUSE, the occurrences of drug taking and drug ADDICTION are reduced. That's according to the NIDA.
For additional information on drug abuse, visit http://drugabuse.gov/infofacts/understand.html.
Rodney Allen Cole is writer and contributor to Healthy Web Sites. To learn more about healthy-aging, you may enjoy reading calorie restricted diet and longevity and effects of exercise on mental aging.
To learn more about preventing medication mix ups and accidents, especially as they pertain to senior citizens, visit BoiseHealth.com. For tips on how to dispose of expired or unused medications, visit RaleighHealth.com.
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