Prescription Drug Misuse

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Specifics

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Research

• Statistics and Research
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Teenagers
• Patient Handouts

Summary

If you take a medicine in a way that is different from what the doctor prescribed, it is called prescription drug misuse. It could be:

• Taking a medicine that was prescribed for someone else
• Taking a larger dose than you are supposed to
• Taking the medicine in a different way than you are supposed to. This might be crushing tablets and then snorting or injecting them.
• Using the medicine for another purpose, such as getting high

Misusing some prescription drugs can lead to addiction. These include opioids, sedatives, tranquilizers, and stimulants.

Every medicine has some risk of side effects. Doctors take this into account when prescribing medicines. People who misuse these drugs may not understand the risks. The medicines may not be safe for them, especially at higher doses or when taken with other medicines.

NIH: National Institute on Drug Abuse

Start Here

• Misuse of Prescription Drugs Research Report (National Institute on Drug Abuse) Also in Spanish
• Prescription Drug Abuse (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Drug Testing (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Drug Testing (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
• Mental Health Screening (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Opioid Testing (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• How Can Prescription Drug Misuse Be Prevented? (National Institute on Drug Abuse)

Treatments and Therapies

• How Can Prescription Drug Addiction Be Treated? (National Institute on Drug Abuse) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Anabolic Steroids: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Benzodiazepines (Drug Enforcement Administration)

Statistics and Research

• Prescription Stimulant Misuse and Prevention Among Youth and Young Adults (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - PDF
• What Is the Scope of Prescription Drug Misuse in the United States? (National Institute on Drug Abuse) Also in Spanish
• Which Classes of Prescription Drugs Are Commonly Misused? (National Institute on Drug Abuse) Also in Spanish

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Tracking 5-Year Trends in the Workforce Prescribing Psychotropics and Medications for...
• Article: Association Between Cost Sharing and Naloxone Prescription Dispensing.
• Article: Medication-overuse headache: a narrative review.
• Prescription Drug Misuse -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Drug Enforcement Administration
• FindTreatment.gov (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) Also in Spanish
• Food and Drug Administration
• National Institute on Drug Abuse Also in Spanish
• Partnership to End Addiction

Teenagers

• Mind Matters: The Body's Response to Prescription Stimulants (National Institute on Drug Abuse) Also in Spanish
• Prescription Drug Abuse (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• What Are Depressants? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Substance use -- prescription drugs (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish