THE ABUSE OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS BY THE ELDERLY

The Abuse or misuse of prescription drugs by the elderly



The Abuse or misuse of prescription drugs by the elderly

The use of prescription drugs in any manner other than that ordered by a physician is deemed as prescription drug abuse by elderly. In this paper, I will explore recent statistics in prescription drug abuse by elderly, the misconceptions behind prescription drug abuse by elderly, and the most commonly abused prescription drugs. I will also discuss various methods that are used to obtain excessive amounts of prescription drugs and the precautions used by those in the medical profession to control prescription drug abuse by elderly. In closing, I will focus on the government's effort to control prescription drug abuse by elderly through the tracking of prescriptions and the imposition of tougher penalties on those who violate the law.

In 1999, an estimated 9 million people were using prescription drugs for uses other than prescribed by their physicians. Of those who admitted to using prescription drugs in an abusive manner, over a quarter of the 9 million had just begun to do so in the previous year. Listed among the abused prescription drugs recognized in 1999 surveys are: pain relievers, sedatives, tranquilizers, and stimulants. Due to the fact that they are generally less healthy and that they are more likely to receive a greater amount of prescriptions, the most stable and definite abuse of any type of drug for the elderly is that of prescription drugs. For those in the age group of 12 to 17, primary abuse lies in the misuse of psychotherapeutic such as painkillers, tranquilizers, and stimulants. The scales do not seem to tip to either side when considering which gender abuses prescription drugs more often. What we do know is that young women tend to abuse psychotherapeutic drugs more often than young men (Caldwell, 2001).

Even if everyone in America over the age of 12 could have been surveyed for the aforementioned statistics, there would still be a large margin of error in these already staggering numbers. The reasoning behind this error lies in the way that we view prescription drugs, the people that prescribe them, and basic denial. Prescription drugs are sanctioned and regulated by the federal government. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) monitors prescription drugs from conception to inception. The general belief is that after such scrutiny is exerted, any product that enters the market for medicinal purposes has been deemed safe by the federal government and is therefore safe enough for consumption. Normally, if something is legal to obtain and safe to consume, a negative term such as "abuse" for a small amount of misuse does not seem appropriate. For this reason alone, statistics will waiver towards a lesser amount than what is known. We must also consider the fact that much trust is given to physicians. When a physician prescribes a drug for a patient, the patient has no reason to assume that the drug is not safe or ...