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What you need to Know About; Prescription Pain Killers

06 Sep
Nervous sytem.

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While the use of many street drugs is on a slight decline in the US, abuse of prescription drugs is growing. In 2007, 2.5 million Americans abused prescription drugs for the first time, compared to 2.1 million who used marijuana for the first time.

Among teens, prescription drugs are the most commonly used drugs next to marijuana, and almost half of the teens abusing prescription drugs are taking painkillers.

Why are so many young people turning to prescription drugs to get high?

By survey, almost 50% of teens believe that taking prescription drugs is much safer than using illegal street drugs.

What is not known by most of these young people is the risk they are taking by consuming these highly potent and mind-altering drugs. Long-term use of painkillers can lead to dependence, even for people who are prescribed them to relieve a medical condition but eventually fall into the trap of abuse and addiction.

 In some cases, the dangers of painkillers don’t surface until it is too late. In 2007, for example, abuse of the painkiller Fentanyl killed more than 1,000 people. The drug was found to be thirty to fifty times more powerful than heroin

Prescription painkillers are powerful drugs that interfere with the nervous system’s transmission of the nerve signals we perceive as pain. Most painkillers also stimulate portions of the brain associated with pleasure. Thus, in addition to blocking pain, they produce a “high.”

The most powerful prescription painkillers are called opioids, which are opium-like compounds. They are manufactured to react on the nervous system in the same way as drugs derived from the opium poppy, like heroin. The most commonly abused opioid painkillers include OXYCODONE, hydrocodone, meperidine, hydromorphone and propoxyphene.

Oxycodone has the greatest potential for abuse and the greatest dangers. It is as powerful as heroin and affects the nervous system the same way. Oxycodone is sold under many trade names, such as Percodan, Endodan, Roxiprin, Percocet, Endocet, Roxicet and OxyContin. It comes in tablet form.

THE “HILLBILLY HEROIN it reacts on the nervous system like heroin or opium, some abusers are using one brand of oxycodone painkiller, OxyContin, as a substitute for, or supplement to, street opiates like heroin.

Armed robberies of pharmacies have occurred where the robber demanded only OxyContin, not cash. In some areas, particularly the Eastern United States, OxyContin has been the drug of greatest concern to law enforcement authorities.

OxyContin, widely known as “hillbilly heroin” because of its abuse in Appalachian communities, has emerged as a major crime problem in the US. In one county, it was estimated that addiction to this drug was behind 80% of the crime

Hydrocodone is used in combination with other chemicals and is available in prescription pain medications as tablets, capsules and syrups. Trade names include Anexsia, Dicodid, Hycodan, Hycomine, Lorcet, Lortab, Norco, Tussionex and Vicodin. Sales and production of this drug have increased significantly in recent years, as has its illicit use.

The  ten warning signs to watch for if you think someone you know may be experiencing a dependency on these drugs:

1. Usage increase: increase of one’s dose over time, as a result of growing tolerant to the drug and needing more to get the same effect.
2. Change in personality: shifts in energy, mood, and concentration as a result of everyday responsibilities becoming secondary to the need for the drug.
3. Social withdrawal: withdrawal from family and friends.
4. Ongoing use: continued use of painkillers after the medical condition they were meant to relieve has improved.
5. Time spent on obtaining prescriptions: spending large amounts of time driving great distances and visiting multiple doctors to obtain the drugs.
6. Change in daily habits and appearance: decline in personal hygiene; change in sleeping and eating habits; constant cough, running nose and red, glazed eyes.
7. Neglects responsibilities: neglect of household chores and bills; calling in sick to school or work more often.
8. Increased sensitivity: normal sights, sounds and emotions becoming overly stimulating to the person; hallucinations.
9. Blackouts and forgetfulness: forgetting events that have taken place and experiencing blackouts.
10. Defensiveness: becoming defensive and lashing out in response to simple questions in an attempt to hide a drug dependency, if users feel their secret is being discovered.

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Posted by on 09/06/2011 in Crime!, Drug Abuse

 

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Do you Know about; Ritalin

01 Sep
Ritalin Slow-Release (SR) 20 mg tablets.
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Is this what our students are taking to cope with the pressure of School?

Ritalin is the common name for methylphenidate, classified by the Drug Enforcement Administration as a Schedule II narcotic, which, has the same classification as cocaine, morphine and amphetamines. It is abused by teens for its stimulant effects.

 Even when Ritalin is used as a prescription drug, it may have severe effects including nervousness, insomnia, anorexia, loss of appetite, pulse changes, heart problems and weight loss. The manufacturer says it is a drug of dependency.

 In June 2005, the US Food and Drug Administration issued a series of public health advisories warning that Ritalin and drugs like it may cause visual hallucinations, suicidal thoughts and psychotic behavior, as well as aggression or violent behavior.

 Parents are never told, Oh, by the way, once in a while a child dies simply by taking their prescribed medication. Or, by the way, children on stimulant medications have twice the future rate of drug abuse. Or that one third, of all children on these medications, develop symptoms of obsessive-compulsive behavior within the first year.

It seems so simple at first. A student gets a little behind in his studies. An exam comes up and he needs to prepare. He’ll have to stay up late to have even a chance of making the grade. Coffee gives him the jitters, but many of his friends use these pills to give the extra energy they need. Why not? A couple of bucks; one pill; an entire night of study; a feeling of “focus.”

That may be where it starts, but it is very often not where it ends. Some students are chopping up Ritalin and snorting it like cocaine for faster absorption. It keeps you awake for hours.

Ritalin just like cocaine, or any other stimulant, that nice [up feeling] is inevitably followed by a [crash,] a feeling of fatigue, depression and decreased alertness. One student on Adderall, another stimulant widely abused on college campuses, recounted that a feeling of [utmost clarity] turned into a state of being [crashed out and overdone] the next day. As one user put it, “I usually go into a crash coma afterwards.”

And, of course, the user soon comes to know that this “crashed out” feeling can be relieved with the “help” of another pill that gets him back up again. And so it goes.

 Next may be larger doses, or snorting it for a bigger rush. Tolerance increases, so one has to use more. In these larger doses, Ritalin can lead to convulsions, headaches and hallucinations. The powerful amphetamine like substance can even lead to death, as in the many tragic cases of children who have died of heart attacks caused by damage linked to the drug.

Ritalin is easy to get, and cheap. Taken from someone’s prescription, stolen from a sibling or obtained by a fraudulent prescription, these tablets are then broadly sold. The price runs from a dollar or two in school to $20 per pill on the black market.

The comparison of Ritalin to cocaine is not just a slogan. Ritalin is chemically similar to cocaine. When injected as a liquid, it sends that “jolt” that addicts crave so much.

In 2000, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) revealed the results of studies on both animals and humans who were given cocaine and Ritalin. The test subjects could not tell the difference. The DEA concluded that, “They produce effects that are nearly identical.”

In the United States, Ritalin is subject to severe criminal penalties for abuse. The penalties for a first trafficking offense (which you would be guilty of even if you just shared one or two pills with a friend) includes up to twenty years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million.

If death or serious injury results from a first offense, the penalty is twenty years to life in prison. If the drug is injected, it becomes a drug offense with even harsher penalties.

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Posted by on 09/01/2011 in Crime!, Drug Abuse

 

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What you should Know about- Prescription Drugs

26 Aug
Various prescription and street drugs may caus...
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The Education about drugs is never ending, and no-matter what the drug dealers are telling you, They just want your money. They do not care about you, it’s just the money that counts. So they will say anything, do anything to get you to pay for the drugs. An ultimately you will make the last payment with your life! Do not be fooled into believing that you can stop when-ever you want. That is just a blatant Lie!

Many teens think prescription drugs are safe because they were prescribed by a doctor. But taking them for nonmedical use to get high or “self-medicate” can be just as dangerous and addictive as taking illegal street drugs.

 There are very serious health risks in taking prescription drugs. This is why they are taken only under the care of a doctor. And even then, they have to be closely monitored to avoid addiction or other problems.

 Many pills look the same. It is extremely dangerous to take any pill that you are uncertain about or was not prescribed for you. People can also have different reactions to drugs due to the differences in each person’s body chemistry. A drug that was okay for one person could be very risky, even fatal, for someone else.

 Prescription drugs are only safe for the individuals who actually have the prescriptions for them and no one else.

WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW

Due to their potential for abuse and addiction, many prescription drugs have been categorized by the US Drug Enforcement Administration in the same category as opium or cocaine. These include Ritalin and Dexedrine (stimulants), and the painkillers Oxycontin, Demerol and Roxanol.

Many illegal street drugs were at one time used or prescribed by doctors or psychiatrists but were later banned when the evidence of their harmful effects could no longer be ignored. Examples are heroin, cocaine, LSD, methamphetamine and Ecstasy.

Abuse of prescription drugs can be even riskier than the abuse of illegally manufactured drugs. The high potency of some of the synthetic (man-made) drugs available as prescription drugs creates a high overdose risk. This is particularly true of Oxycontin and similar painkillers, where overdose deaths more than doubled over a five-year period.

Many people don’t realize that distributing or selling prescription drugs (other than by a doctor) is a form of drug dealing and as illegal as selling heroin or cocaine, with costly fines and jail time. When the drug dealing, results in death or serious bodily injury, dealers can face life imprisonment.

Types of abused prescription drugs

Prescription drugs that are taken for recreational use include the following major categories:

1. Depressants: Often referred to as central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) depressants, these drugs slow brain function. They include sedatives (used to make a person calm and drowsy) and tranquilizers (intended to reduce tension or anxiety).

2. Opioids and morphine derivatives: Generally referred to as painkillers, these drugs contain opium or opium-like substances and are used to relieve pain.

3. Stimulants: A class of drugs intended to increase energy and alertness but which also increase blood pressure, heart rate and breathing.

4. Antidepressants: Psychiatric drugs that are supposed to handle depression.

Over-the-counter cold and cough medicines containing the drug Dextromethorphan (DXM) have also been abused. DXM is sold in syrup, gel and tablet form. When sold on the Internet as powder, it is particularly risky because of the uncertainty of its composition and dose. It is found in more than 100 products; Coricidin and Robitussin are abused the most.

EFFECTS

Mixed with other drugs, cough syrup can also cause central nervous system and heart problems. Combined with alcohol, it is particularly dangerous and can result in death.

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Posted by on 08/26/2011 in Crime!, Drug Abuse

 

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Americans developing addictions to prescription drugs!

03 Jul
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With more and more Americans developing addictions to prescription drugs, the country is experiencing a surge in violent crimes as fiends are taking drastic measures to fuel their fix. Prescription drug abuse is nothing new in America, but not only is the problem getting worse in the States, but an increasing number of addicts are resorting to violent crimes to avoid withdrawal.

In a recent study from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA), 15 percent of American high students admitted to abusing prescription pills.

There has been a gradual increase in prescription pain killer admissions for quite a few years now. But it’s still a great concern because it shows that it’s a continuing problem out there. With more and more people developing dependencies, a crime epidemic is overtaking America as addicts attempt to obtain opiates at all costs.

This is far from a global crisis, too. Americans make up around 80 percent of the world’s prescription painkiller users and abusers, reports IMS Health. And now, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, prescription painkillers have surpassed illicit drugs such as heroin and cocaine as the leading cause of fatal overdoses.

It’s not the drugs themselves that are doing all the killing, though.

Last month four people were murdered at a Long Island pharmacy when David Laffer allegedly open fired in a New York drug store after emptying the store of their entire supply of hydrocodone. His wife, Melinda Brady, was later charged in related crimes after she told police that her husband had committed the armed robbery so that she could have the pills. He killed a 17-year-old clerk and a middle-aged pharmacist before shooting a couple in the back of the head and taking hydrocodone-based drugs from the shelves.

A month earlier across the country, an Oakland, California drug store was robbed at gunpoint by two masked men seeking a prescription narcotic cough syrup rich in codeine. If they don’t abuse the tonic themselves, bottles can fetch upwards of $200 a piece on the streets.

It seems almost too obvious to the California Board of Pharmacy. “People want prescription drugs and they see pharmacies as where to get them.”

Sixty Five (65) pharmacies in the state of Florida were held up in 2010. In all the country saw 686 drug store robberies that year, an increase of 80 percent since 2006. While the drug-deal-gone-bad scenario is a stigma which is often associated with the poor and impoverished of inner-city America, RdPatrol, the country’s only database for pharmacy crime, says around 80 percent of the incidents are perpetrated by white males.

“These are very typically addicts who possibly can no longer get controlled substances in the manner they used to get them,” said the director of law enforcement liaison for Purdue Pharma, which makes the narcotic painkiller Oxycontin. “This really is a crime of desperation and that makes for a much more dangerous suspect.”

Many patients are turned into addicts after taking legitimate prescriptions. Eventually, however, it is not uncommon for them to turn to crime if they are laid-off and left without their prescription but with an undying addiction. People with addiction who could be perfectly good people will do all sorts of horrible things to maintain their supply.  Many times . . . people can lose jobs and with certain things with health care we see lack of insurance now.”  “It seems to me the situation is becoming worse.” Recently a man walked into his store, went behind the counter and held a clerk at knife point, demanding hydrocodone.

These incidents are far from isolated and only getting worse.

As addicts try to snuff their itch and pack their wallets, this trend doesn’t seem to be disappearing. In a Seattle courtroom last year, a 14-time felon talked about how he transitioned from vehicle prowling and a string of misdemeanors into drug store hold-ups: “Robbing pharmacies for OxyContin is the only way to go,” was written  in court documents.

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Posted by on 07/03/2011 in Drug Abuse

 

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