Prescription drug abuse has become a serious problem, especially among teens and young adults. Do whatever you can to prevent your kids from misusing prescription drugs because its an incredibly difficult addiction to kick, much harder than heroin or cocaine. Learn as much as you can about how drug abuse starts, how to prevent it, and how to help a loved one suffering from addiction. Below are some websites with very good information on prescription drug abuse. www.drugfree.org www.drugfree.org www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov www.drugfreeworld.org www.prescription-drug-abuse.org Song-Mariye by Adom9 Special thanks to Adom9 for permission to use their song. www.adom9.com To download a good quality version click the link below: asjad.s3.amazonaws.com
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Prescription Drug Abuse / PSA Video. From the public domain. Most people take medicines only for the reasons their doctors prescribe them. But an estimated 20 percent of people in the United States have used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons. This is prescription drug abuse. It is a serious and growing problem. Abusing some prescription drugs can lead to addiction. You can develop an addiction to: Narcotic painkillers Sedatives and tranquilizers Stimulants Experts don’t know exactly why this type of drug abuse is increasing. The availability of drugs is probably one reason. Doctors are prescribing more drugs for more health problems than ever before. Online pharmacies make it easy to get prescription drugs without a prescription, even for youngsters. Some people experiment with prescription drugs because they think they will help them have more fun, lose weight, fit in, and even study more effectively. Prescription drugs can be easier to get than street drugs: Family members or friends could have a prescription. But prescription drugs are also sometimes sold on the street like other illegal drugs. A 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health showed that among all youths aged 12 to 17, 6% had tried prescription drugs for recreational use in the last month. Why? Some people think that prescription drugs are safer and less addictive than street drugs. After all, these are drugs that moms, dads, and even kid brothers and sisters use. To Angie, taking her brother’s …

Arche Wellness facility in Pittsburgh PA

Allison Park, PA (PRWEB) August 23, 2010

Today Arche Wellness has announced a new effort to create awareness of prescription drug addiction amongst middle aged women. Since 2008, the center has seen a significant increase in middle aged women, with no previous substance abuse history, becoming addicted to prescription medications. “Most of these women have never taken an illegal drug in their lives, but they come to us very addicted to multiple prescription drugs after being prescribed addictive medications without being properly warned of their risks,” said Erin McClelland, MS, founder and Executive Director of the program. “Often times they aren’t even aware that they are experiencing symptoms of addiction.”

Arche Wellness attributes the rise in addiction amongst middle aged women to two different factors, over prescription and lack of education. “Doctors are prescribing these medications because the pretty, glossy information sheets given to them by the drug companies make them seem safe. But physicians don’t see what these people go through once they become addicted like we see them,” said McClelland.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reports that “several indicators” suggest prescription drug abuse and addiction is trending upward in our country. The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) monitors illicit and medical drug use reports in emergency rooms and found that the most frequently reported prescription medications in drug abuse related visits are benzodiazepines (anti-anxiety medications) and opiates (pain killers). “This data is consistent with what we are seeing in the treatment population,” said McClelland. “We see menopausal women being prescribed benzodiazepines, painkillers and sleep medications at an alarming rate and becoming severely addicted without even realizing these drugs are addictive. It’s becoming so common that we’ve starting calling it the Stepford Triad.”

While illicit drugs like heroin and cocaine have often been viewed as the most addictive and dangerous drugs of abuse, Erin McClelland identifies prescription drug abuse as far more biochemically damaging and more difficult to stop. “These drugs aren’t natural like heroin. They are manmade and specifically designed to provide powerful and immediate relief from the symptoms they treat. This also means they alter body chemistry more significantly making the changes harder to undo and overall recovery far more difficult,” she said. Arche Wellness reports that prescription drug addicts experience far more gastrointestinal distress such as leaky gut and malabsorption, higher levels of anxiety and depression and a substantially longer and more intensive treatment process than patients addicted to illicit drugs.

Arche Wellness will be offering a number of educational forums and seminars throughout September in an effort to educate consumers about prescription drug abuse, enabling addiction and toxicity in middle aged women. For more information contact Arche Wellness at 1-877-55-ARCHE or visit archewellness.com.

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Related Drug Abuse Press Releases

MedSafe installs easily into most existing medicine cabinets

Freeport, NY (PRWEB) July 7, 2009

MedSafe, Inc., has released the MedSafe Prescription Lockbox, an electronic safe for prescription drugs specially designed to fit inside most existing medicine cabinets. Constructed of impact resistant polymer and secured by a customizable digital locking system, MedSafe gives parents the ability to keep their children safe from dangerous medications.

MedSafe arrives at a time when abuse of prescription drugs has become an epidemic across the United States and around the world. Studies show that nearly one in five teenagers has used prescription medication to get high. Every day, 2500 teenagers try a painkiller for the first time and someone dies from prescription drug abuse every five minutes.

“The medicine cabinet has become the ‘drug dealer’ of choice for kids today. Kids abuse prescription drugs more than almost all illicit drugs combined,” said Michael Boccia, of MedSafe, Inc. “Too many parents who believe that “it’s not happening in my house” have kids who end up in the E.R., or worse, the morgue! That’s why we’ve made it our corporate mission to stem this tide of addiction and death.”

Parents don’t comprehend the depth of the issue, according to Boccia, and part of MedSafe’s mission is to educate people about the growing issue of prescription drug abuse. “The vast majority of kids who’ve used prescription drugs say they got them from the medicine cabinet of parents, family members and friends. So even if you’re completely sure your own kids aren’t involved, can you say the same for their friends? Do your nieces, nephews, or grandchildren have access to your medicine chest? Anyone who keeps prescription drugs in their home needs to think about securing them, just as you would probably secure guns, and MedSafe is the easy solution.”

MedSafe is partnering with non-profit organizations, from national drug abuse campaigns to local PTAs, to deliver the message and make the MedSafe Prescription Lockbox available across the country. These non-profit organizations can help promote the product as part of a fundraising campaign, thus helping to eradicate the prescription drug abuse problem and further their own cause simultaneously.

About MedSafe, Inc.

MedSafe is dedicated to creating products that keep families safe in their own homes, with a particular focus on drug safety. MedSafe understands that drug safety begins with education and frank discussion in the home, but also believes that going one step further and locking up their prescription drugs can help parents keep their children alive and drug-free. A portion of MedSafe profits are donated to non-profit organizations that promote drug education and fight drug abuse.

Learn more about MedSafe at http://www.HelpSaveOurKids.com

Media Contact:

Craig Rosenshein

Interactive Marketing Experts Group

561-376-6030

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San Diego, CA (Vocus) June 19, 2009 -

If sales of drug test panels are an indicator, then it could mean that prescription drug abuse among teenagers is on the rise.

TestCountry.com, a leading online distributor of drug testing kits, has recently announced an increase in their sales of drug test panels, particularly those used for determining prescription drug abuse in teenagers.

Topping the list is the sales figures for opiate panels. Opiate drugs are often prescribed to relieve pain. Examples include Vicodin, OxyContin and Percodan.

Closely following sales figures for opiate panels are those for benzodiazepines and buprenorphine. Benzodiazepines like Valium, Ativan and Halcion are used to treat sleep disorders and anxiety. On the other hand, drugs containing buprenorphine are actually used for treating opioid addiction withdrawal.

These trends coincidentally parallel the 2008 results of the annual survey made by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) through its Monitoring the Future (MFT) program. According to the NIDA fact sheet, 15.4% of teenagers in the United States reported to have gone through prescription drug abuse in 2008.

The survey further revealed that the substances being taken non-medically by these teenagers continue to be tranquilizers, barbiturates, amphetamines, opiates and sedatives. Other drugs being abused are those readily available at drugstore counters, such as cough medicine.

But while the numbers describing prescription drug abuse among teenagers is considered as alarming, this percentage is still thought of as low when compared to that of teenagers struggling with the use of marijuana and other cannabis-derived drugs. Marijuana remains to be the most commonly abused substance among teenagers in the United States. Of the teenagers surveyed by the MFT in 2008, 26.9% have reported using it.

The TestCountry.com sales reports also indicate that sales of drug test kits for marijuana are three times the figures posted for prescription drug test panels.

NIDA has reported that stress is one of the contributing factors behind prescription drug abuse among teenagers. The need to fit in and to perform well, coupled by peer pressure and lack of guidance from parents or guardians, can cause teenagers to cope with the use of prescription drugs.

Lack of information has also led teenagers to believe that prescription drugs are safer than illegal substances like cocaine or heroin because they are prescribed by licensed doctors and are bought from a pharmacy.

Prescription drugs are also the ones most readily available to teenagers. They can get their dosage from the medicine used by their parents and siblings. They can also persuade friends with conditions such as ADHD to give them some of their medicine.

Despite the concerns raised by prescription drug abuse among teenagers, NIDA has nonetheless stated that there is a steady decline in substance abuse in that age group. Past-year use of illegal drugs aside from marijuana is down from 13.1% in 2007 to 11.3% in 2008. The same goes for the use of crystal meth, from 1.6% to 1.1%.

In NIDA’s prescription drug abuse research, parental supervision is named as one of the factors deemed crucial towards the prevention of non-medicated use of prescription drugs among teenagers. At home drug testing kits remain to be one of the most common ways that parents turn to in determining if the teenager in the household is taking drugs without prescriptions.

For more information on prescription drug abuse among teenagers, please visit testcountry.org.

About TestCountry

TestCountry.com is an online home test kit superstore. The company offers home or work drug test kits for a variety of needs, including HIV / AIDS testing kits, pregnancy and fertility testing, paternity and DNA testing, drug abuse testing, steroid testing, nicotine testing, lead testing, health hazard detection, nutrition and wellness testing. TestCountry specializes in easy-to-use tests that can be individually administered in the security and privacy of a home or office. All shipments are packaged discreetly, thus respecting the privacy of clients. The company also operates exclusively through their web site, found at www.testcountry.com, and features a question and answer section, testcountry.org, providing responses to many common concerns users may have related to the various types of home testing at company blog http://hometestingblog.testcountry.com/

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