Prescription medications are both effective and necessary in the treatment of various health conditions.  However, the misuse and abuse of prescription medications is dramatically rising in the United States.  The three classes of prescription medications most commonly misused are opioids, central nervous system depressants, and stimulants.  According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in 2008, 15.2 million Americans age 12 and older had taken a prescription pain reliever, tranquilizer, stimulant, or sedative for non-medical purposes at least once in the past year. (NIDA, 2010)

Number of U.S. Emergency Department Visits Involving Nonmedical use of Narcotic Pain Relievers More Than Doubled from 2004-2008

According to the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) the number of U.S. hospital emergency department visits involving the nonmedical use of narcotic pain relievers increased from 144,644 in 2004 to 305,885 in 2008.  The most reported narcotic pain relievers were oxycodone products, hydrocodone products, and methadone. (SAMHSA, 2010)

Read about Prescription Drug Abuse in North Carolina in the following article:
“An Unrelenting Epidemic of Deaths from Prescription Drugs in North Carolina” Catherine Sanford, MSPH