Know the Risks
Prescription drug misuse doesn't always look like what you expect. It can start gradually and quietly, with the best intentions, like someone managing pain or a teen taking something from the medicine cabinet. Knowing the warning signs of misuse and how to start a conversation could make all the difference.
Why Prescription Drugs Carry Real Risk
Not all prescription drugs are the same. Opioids, stimulants, and sedatives can come with serious risks and be highly addictive, which is why they should always be used carefully. Misuse can take many forms, whether that's taking a higher dose than prescribed, using someone else's medication, or taking a drug to get high. The three classes of medication most commonly misused are:
- Opioids, including prescription medications commonly prescribed to treat pain, such as Lortab, OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin, Morphine, Methadone, Codeine, Demerol, and Norco.
- Stimulants, commonly prescribed for ADHD, include prescription medications such as Ritalin, Adderall, Concerta, and Dexedrine.
- Sedatives, commonly prescribed to treat conditions like anxiety and sleep disorders, include prescription medications such as Xanax, Valium, Ativan, and Librium.
Learn More About Opioids, Sedatives, and Stimulants
Know the Signs of Misuse
These warning signs may indicate that you, or someone you care about, has developed a problematic relationship with prescription medication.
- Taking higher doses or taking more frequently than prescribed
- Running out of prescriptions too soon
- Compulsively seeking and using opioids despite harmful consequences
- Continuously "losing" prescriptions and requesting replacements
- Seeking medications for more than one injury or with multiple doctors or pharmacists
- Withdrawing from friends, family, or social activities
- Neglecting responsibilities
- Change in sleep patterns
- “Craving" just one more pill or refill
- Taking an opioid for its psychological effects or to feel high
- Taking a prescription medication for reasons other than why it was prescribed
- Mixing pills and alcohol
- Exhibiting abnormal behaviors, hostility, excessive mood swings, or sudden personality changes
- Losing appetite and extreme changes in weight
- Distracted, unable to focus, confused
- Poor decision-making