Prescription Drugs
What Are Prescription (Rx) Drugs?
Rx drugs are drugs that legally requires a medical prescription to be dispensed. The most commonly abused prescription drugs are:
Opioids: medicines used to treat pain. Ex: Oxycontin, Roxicodone, Vicodin, Lortab, Norco
Anti-anxiety medications and sedatives: used to treat anxiety and sleep disorders. Ex: Xanax, Valium, Ambien
Stimulants: used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and certain sleep disorder. Ex: Ritalin, Concerta, Adderall XR, Dexedrine
How Does it Affect the Body?
Signs and symptoms of prescription drug abuse depend on the specific drug.
Opioid Painkillers
Constipation
Nausea
Feeling high (euphoria)
Slowed breathing
Drowsiness
Confusion
Poor coordination
Increased pain with higher doses
Stimulants
Reduced appetite
Agitation
High blood pressure
Insomnia
High blood pressure
Irregular heartbeat
Anxiety
Paranoia
Sedative & Anti-Anxiety
Drowsiness
Confusion
Unsteady walking
Slurred speech
Poor concentration
Dizziness
Problems with memory
Slowed breathing
Signs of Prescription Drug Abuse
Stealing, forging or selling prescriptions
Taking higher doses than prescribed
Excessive mood swings or hostility
Increase or decrease in sleep
Poor decision-making
Appearing to be high, unusually energetic or revved up, or sedated
Continually "losing" prescriptions, so more prescriptions must be written
Seeking prescriptions from more than one doctor
When Do Prescription Drugs Become Illegal
As soon as an Rx drug is taken for the wrong reasons (e.g. "to get high") and/or given to someone else, it becomes illegal. Rx drugs are extremely effective in treating medical conditions when they are taken correctly. However, these are powerful drugs that can lead to serious health issues as wells as addiction when they are taken incorrectly or recreationally.
What Are Pharm Parties?
The Truth About Prescription Drugs
Did You Know?
Combining prescription drugs with other drugs or alcohol without consulting your physician can be very dangerous.
Mixing stimulants and antidepressants enhances the effects of the stimulant, resulting in irregular heartbeat, dangerously high body temperature, cardiovascular failure, or seizures.
Opioids should never be used with substances such as, alcohol, antihistamines (treats allergies), barbiturates (depressants) or benzodiazepines (tranquilizers). These substances slow down breathing and when it is combined with opioids, it could cause severe life-threatening respiratory depression.
The street price of Oxycontin has increased to 20% due to high demand and Hydrocodone has quickly become the most abused pharmaceutical drug in the islands.
In 2019, 14.4% of Hawaii high school students have taken a prescription drug without a doctor's prescription one or more times during their life.
Source: https://nccd.cdc.gov
