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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
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: Association Between Cost Sharing and Naloxone Prescription Dispensing.
- Article: Theory of mind in chronic migraine with medication overuse assessed with...
- Article: Health care resource utilization and costs associated with diagnosed medication overuse...
- Prescription Drug Misuse -- see more articles
Find an Expert
- Drug Enforcement Administration
- FindTreatment.gov (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
- 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
- Tips for Teens: The Truth About Stimulants (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
- What Are Depressants? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Patient Handouts
- Substance use -- prescription drugs (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish