What is prescription drug abuse? Abusing any drug is when someone habitually takes a substance for reasons other than health. Many drugs are abused because of the effects it has on the brain:
effects that patients enjoy and become addicted to. A prescription drug abuse
is when a doctor prescribes a patient a drug and the drug is used in other
ways or other dosages than the doctor intended it to be taken. Examples of this
are taking prescription drugs that were not prescribed to you, using a
medication to get a high feeling, and taking more medication that the doctor
prescribed. To the upper right is a picture showing the major three types of prescription drugs that are abused. To the bottom right there is a chart of commonly abused prescription drugs.
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Causes
Various reasons can cause someone to start abusing prescription drugs. A few of the common reasons are:
Effects
"Decades of research have shown that drug addiction causes long-lasting and sometimes permanent changes to brain cells, brain chemistry, and brain systems"(Drug Addiction And The Brain). Of course though, different drugs have different effects and different people respond differently as well. In severe cases death could be the outcome. Seizures and brain damage is another effect some people experience. People can become dependent on a prescription drug. This could, in turn, change their lifestyle. For example, one might become less worried about work or family and more concerned about getting high. |