Misuse of prescription drugs has become an increasing public health problem, especially amongst teens today. Teens misuse prescription drugs for a multitude of reasons like to get high, to relieve pain or because they think it will help them with school work. The misuse of prescription drugs can lead to addiction as well as overdose death. The main problem in the misuse of over-the-counter and prescription drugs amongst teens is how easily accessible they are. Many teenagers misuse their own prescription drugs by not following the proper handling instructions on the label. Drugs like opioids (a type of pain reliever), depressants (used to help anxiety or to cause sleep), and stimulants (used in treating ADHD) are the most commonly misused prescription drugs due to their availability. You can easily get a prescription from your doctor for a certain drug if you have say an injury or you need Adderall if you have ADHD. These drugs are most commonly used in the wrong form, like breaking and crushing a pill or capsule and snorting the powder. “One in eight …show more content…
The easy availability of the drugs in the medicine cabinet or at a friends house is what makes them so commonly misused. Most parents admit that nearly anyone could get access to the family’s medicine cabinet and they also believe that stimulants for ADHD can help their child focus or perform better in school even if they do not have ADHD, encouraging the use of prescription drugs not meant for them. “More than four in 10 teens (42 percent) who have misused or abused a prescription drug obtained it from their parent’s medicine cabinet. Almost half (49 percent) of teens who misuse or abuse Rx medicines obtained them from a friend”(Partnership for Drug-Free