Reactions 1151 - 12 May 2007

Prescription drug abuse takes abig jump in the US. . .

Latest government statistics have revealed thatemergency department visits related to the nonmedicaluse of prescription and OTC drugs increased from495 732 in 2004 to 598 542 in 2005 in the US, accordingto an article published in the Lancet. This 21% increasein the visits is a ‘big jump’, says Director of the Centerfor Drug Abuse Treatment at the US Substance Abuseand Mental Health Services Administration, DrH Westley Clark. A striking increase was observed in theuse of benzodiazepines (up 19%), CNS stimulants (up33%), opiates and opioids (up 24%) and methadone (up29%).

. . . a matter of ‘high’ concernThe rise in the abuse of prescription drugs is

attributed to the following: increased availability;perception that pharmaceutical drugs are safe, mainlyamong young people; and increasing social acceptanceof anxiolytics, sedatives and pain killers. A surveyreleased last year showed that 19% of the respondentshave used a prescription medicine to get ‘high’ and31% people believed that occasional nonprescriptionuse of pharmaceuticals was not wrong. Dr LloydJohnston, a research professor at the University ofMichigan’s Survey Research Center, says that theincrease in prescription drug abuse is mainly due to theperception that these drugs are safe, and widespreaddirect-to-consumer marketing strengthens suchperception in the minds of young people. The wideavailability and less cost are another factors contributingto the abuse of prescription drugs. Another concern isInternet pharmacies contributing to the problem. Arecent study identified 185 websites selling prescriptionmedicines, 89% of which did not require prescriptions.Dr Johnston says that "the best strategy is to build up ascientific evidence base to convince people that[prescription] drugs are dangerous".MCCARTHY M. Prescription drug abuse up sharply in the USA. Lancet 369:1505-1506, No. 9572, 5 May 2007 801052105

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Reactions 12 May 2007 No. 11510114-9954/10/1151-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2010 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved