Prescription Drug Use And Abuse

Laila (not real name) suffered from ingrown toenail, so she had a minor surgery on the toe. Due to the accompanied pain, her doctor prescribed pain reliever and sleeping pill so that she won't feel pain at night and also not lose sleep as a result of the pain. In time, Laila began taking sleeping pills whenever she couldn't  sleep at night. Laila's case is one among the numerous reports showing how people abuse prescribed medication. Prescription drug abuse is common among youths but older people are not free too from this act. Why do people abuse prescription drugs? For some known reasons, prescription drugs are abused by people for non medical uses. They take prescribed drugs to cope with depression, anxiety, stress or experience a high. Others are involved in it for following the wrong crowd. They succumb to peer pressure. 

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Most times people don't need to go to the pharmacy stores to purchase these drugs, they are readily available in the home. Some people may feel that since prescription drugs are not illegal drugs, it is safe to take them. Truly prescribed medication can improve our health and even save lives. But let look at it this way; we eat food to keep us alive and healthy. Are there situations in which the food we eat that keeps us alive and healthy can eventually cause problem to us? Definitely yes! Overeating can affect us badly. Eating too much of  a particular diet too can affect the body functions. Yet these foods are not poison. So too, we'll be affected badly when we abuse prescribed medication whether for medical purpose or non medical purpose. There are potential dangers. One of which is addiction. Taking the drugs for non medical purpose will establish dependency where the body system craves for more of it. The end result may be extreme depression, increased stress, abnormal functioning of the body (heart failure, seizures, lowered breathing rate, mental problems), and even death.

For medical reasons, there are guidelines for the safe use of prescription drugs. If the drug you intend taking was prescribed by a physician, you should follow directions carefully. If your physician tell you "to swallow", please do swallow. Some may want to chew, crush, dissolve in water or mix the drug with food before taking it. When you do this, you alter the process in which the drug active ingredient is released into the body. This can either reduced or induced a spike of the drug efficacy. Do not breach regimen. Follow the treatment plan closely as stipulated by your physician. This involves taking the right dosage at the right time. When taking over-the-counter drugs, we should follow the same guidelines for the safe use of prescribed medication by reading and following the instructions on label. Taking drugs for the wrong reasons can never and will never do us any good. If you find this article interesting please share with your friends and loved ones .