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Essay On Prescription Drugs

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The Harmful Side of Prescription Drugs
Did you know that in the year 2008, painkiller overdoses killed nearly 15,000 Americans? (“Painkillers”). Or that the average American, ages nineteen through sixtyfour are prescribed more than 11 prescription drugs and ages 64+ are prescribed more than 31 prescriptions? How about the fact that prescription overdose has exceeded those of heroin and cocaine? At these rates addiction to prescription medicine is on the rise, yet if they are monitored closely they can be very helpful. With doctors prescribing so much medication people are tending to build up a tolerance, but if they put an expiration date, on the quantity and length of use, it may help. Another problem would be that doctors may be over cautious, …show more content…

Prescription and over the counter drugs, after marijuana and alcohol, are the most commonly abused drugs by Americans 14 and older. People are often left thinking that OTC drugs and prescriptions are safer and less addictive that however is not the case (“Prescription”). ¨Actually the number of people undergoing treatment for prescription painkiller drug abuse and addiction quadrupled from 2004 to 2010¨ (¨Prescription¨). Although, if the prescriptions were more closely monitored they can be very helpful. All people, teens and older, should be educated on prescription abuse so they know the dangers that come with it. Also, an individual's pills should always be kept in a safe place and they should keep track of the quantity they have. The doctor should also do his/her own research, they could check for previous addiction problems, while the patient should also inform the doctor if there are any past addiction mishaps. The doctor could also check out the patient's family history because there are many factors that can play into a person's addiction. If someone´s parents are addicts, their child's chances are higher due to inherited genes. Or if there was any childhood trauma, such as physical or sexual abuse, violence, or having a parent die, may also have a higher

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