Xanax is the most well known anti-anxiety medication on the market today. It is not abnormal to hear somewhere in the media, typically in television shows and even movies, to hear a character refer to the drug. They refer to it in a way of saying things such as “I need a Xanax” or before going into a stressful situation noting that they “took a Xanax”. As popular as this medication is the purpose of and effects on the body the drug has, as well as the likelihood for addiction are unknown. Xanax can be abused and has a long history of causing dependance in people who take it and are unaware of the medications strong effects and ability to cause dependance. Still there are thousands more prescriptions being written for Xanax everyday. Xanax …show more content…
Jackson Hester in 1969. The patents were later granted in 1976. (Patents US 3987052) The FDA approved the use and marketing of Alprozolam in October of 1981, and it was available to patients soon after. (American Psychological Association, 1995) After becoming available on the market, Xanax become a popular alternative for people who had been taking the drug Valium to relieve anxiety symptoms. Currently Xanax is “the most prescribed drug in the United States.” (Bleyer, 2014) During the year 2013, over 48 million prescription were written for Xanax alone, a 1% increase from the amount written in 2011. Xanax has been ranking as the number one most prescribed psychiatric drug since 2005. (Grohol, 2014) As the most prescribed drug along with its addictive properties, Xanax also is misused for recreational purposes. This lead to an estimated 57,000 emergency room visits as a result of non-medical use of Xanax in 2005. By 2011 that number rose approximatly 46% to 124,000 emergency room visits. 63% of those patients were reported to have at least one other drug in their system at the time of being admitted. Not only is it the most prescribed psychiatric drug, but it is also the most misused benzodiazepine drug. (The Dawn Report: Emergency Department Visits Involving Non-Medical Use of the Anti-Anxiety Medication Aprazolam, 2011) Xanax is being over prescribed and because …show more content…
Xanax is only approved to be used for a short period of time and pills only come in small doses from 0.25-2 mg pills. Taking large doses of, or using Xanax past the recommended amount of time can lead to dependance. (Stöppler, 2014) Although most people who become addicted to Xanax obtain it legally through a prescription. “Those without a prescription may abuse the drug for its fast-acting sedating and relaxing effects.” (Krans & Kurcik, 2011) As of 2011 it was reported that over 60,000 people in a drug abuse treatment program were dependent on Xanax. (Coalition Against Drug Abuse, 2014) The common characteristics a person shows when they are abusing Xanax are things such as strained relationships and neglecting personal responsibilities at work and home. (Coalition Against Drug Abuse, 2014) Problems in schools or at work, lack of energy, neglected appearance, drastic changes in behavior, and changes in habits such as spending money are all signs of Xanax abuse. (The Mayo Clinic,
On the typical day, over 90 people will die at the hand of opioid abuse in America alone (National). In fact, as of 2014, nearly 2 million Americans were dependent and abusing opioids. The Opioid Crisis has affected America and its citizens in various ways, including health policy, health care, and the life in populous areas. Due to the mass dependence and mortality, the crisis has become an issue that must be resolved in all aspects.
Almost one hundred years ago, prescription drugs like morphine were available at almost any general store. Women carried bottles of very addictive potent opiate based pain killers in their purse. Many individuals like Edgar Allen Poe died from such addictions. Since that time through various federal, state and local laws, drugs like morphine are now prescription drugs; however, this has not stopped the addiction to opiate based pain killers. Today’s society combats an ever increasing number of very deadly addictive drugs from designer drugs to narcotics to the less potent but equally destructive alcohol and marijuana. With all of these new and old drugs going in and out of vogue with addicts, it appears that the increase of misuse and abuse is founded greater in the prescription opiate based painkillers.
Surprisingly, some people actually take this drug on purpose for the euphoric high that it produces. This practice is also extremely dangerous because in addition to the side effects, the drug can be addictive. This means that the longer you use it, you need to use more and more to reach the same level of “high” and if you stop taking it, you go through withdrawal.
Antidepressants are in no way uncommon to today's society. These drugs are used by millions of people everyday, young and old. Studies show that about one in every ten
Prozac Causes More Deaths than Any Other Drug. Something is wrong with the focus on the "drug war" when 200,000 people die each year from prescription drugs, yet only 20,000 die from illegal drug use. Adverse reactions to prescription drugs are the third leading cause of death in America. In fact, people have a seven times greater chance of dying walking into their doctor's office than they do getting behind the wheel of their car!
Almost everybody on Long Island, and probably all around the world, has been prescribed a drug by a doctor before— whether it was to knock out a nasty virus, or relieve pain post injury or surgery. However, what many people don’t realize is that these drugs can have highly addictive qualities, and more and more people are becoming hooked, specifically teenagers. But when does harmlessly taking a prescription drug to alleviate pain take the turn into the downward spiral of abuse? The answer to that question would be when the user begins taking the drug for the “high” or good feelings brought along with it—certainly not what it was prescribed for (1). The amount of teens that abuse prescription medications has been rapidly increasing in recent
Every year, 2.6 million people in the United States suffer from opioid abuse and of that 2.6 million, 276,000 are adolescents, and this problem is only escalating. An individual’s physical and emotional health suffer as well as their personal lives as they lose employment, friends, family, and hope. Opioid addiction begins with the addictive aspects of the drug. People easily become hooked on the relieving effects of the opioids and suffer withdrawal symptoms if they stop using the drug completely because their nerve cells become accustomed to the drug and have difficulty functioning without it; yet the addiction to the drug is only one aspect to the complex problem. The stigma about opioid addiction has wide-reaching negative effects as it
Imagine being in an excruciating amount of pain, and doctors have tried everything they could. The doctor recommends marijuana because he knows it will ease the pain. Should that person take the advice and be prescribed marijuana? In a case in Colorado, a girl the age of five became one of the youngest medical marijuana patients. The young girl Charlotte was having seizures throughout her life. She became a guinea pig in a scary experiment involving marijuana. She was given an administrated amount of marijuana to see if it would stop the seizures. When the results came in, they were surprisingly shocking. Paige, Charlotte’s mother, recalls, "When she didn 't have those three, four seizures that first hour, that was
Fatal complications occur from regular use, for example, liver damage, seizures, elevated blood pressure causing stroke, heart failure, or heart attack. Another growing fad in the United States is the abuse of prescription drugs. The abuse is being done by not only adults, but by teens. The most current trend today is the misuse of cough syrups and prescription medications to produce a “high.” Other medications abused today are stimulants (Ritalin), and benzodiazepines (Xanax).
By the year 2000 opioid medicine containing oxycodone etc., are being abused and misused and more than doubled in 10 years’ time.
It is also easy to see the American people’s infatuation with drugs by simply looking at our current number of prescriptions filled at pharmacies annually. An active data table hosted by The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation states that about four billion prescriptions are filled annually (Kaiser). This is enough prescriptions for every person in the country, children and adults, to have twelve each. Once a person is on a drug, it is often hailed as an immediate fix to the problem, but many don’t think or just don’t care about the long-term side effects it could hold.
Among teens in the United States, some of the most commonly abused drugs are prescription drugs.
Abuse can cause countless medical problems to the body. A person who is addicted will continue to stimulate themselves regardless if they are aware of the negative chain reactions. Once addicted, it becomes difficult to stop due to how the body has become dependent. Health will be harmed the more a stimulant is used. Health effects include: cardiovascular disease, strokes, cancer, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, lung disease, mental disease, birth defects. Mental health is what keeps a person in the right mind to make better decisions and have better control in life. Drugs have the ability to change mood and behavior. If drugs have affected the brain already, the desire increases which changes mental health. Some may not realize that they have been affected their health negatively. “A person who abuses drugs may not realize they have a problem until pronounced effects of drug abuse are seen, often physically. While drug abuse effects on the body vary depending on the drug used, all drug abuse negatively impacts one 's health (Addictions Community). Since drugs create many health issues, treatment is not a simple task. Treatments are hard to obtain and addictions often go
Drugs. The word itself sounds dangerous. Little is it known that drugs are even more dangerous that most people can ever imagine. A complete overview and insight into the world of drugs and the dangers of illegal, addictive substances will be provided. Drugs are an evident hazard and epidemic in today’s society, so it is definitely necessary that a full point of view is apparent.