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The devastation of Drug abuse falls unfairly on certain groups.
Adolescents. According to the 2003 National Survey
on Drug Use and Health, 9.2 percent of youth aged
12-17 had used a prescription psychotherapeutic drug
for nonmedical reasons in the past year and 4.0 percent
were current users. Prescription opioids are a particularly
serious problem in this age group. NIDA's 2004
Monitoring the Future survey of 8th-, 10th-, and 12thgraders
found that 5.0 percent of 12th-graders reported
abusing OxyContin in the past year, and 9.3 percent
reported abusing Vicodin, making Vicodin one of the
most commonly abused prescription drugs in this population.
Another troubling trend is the recent phenomena
known as "pharming," where young people mix prescription
medications and ingest some or all of them at once,
unaware of potentially severe drug interactions.
- Elderly Adults. Although persons 65 years of age and
above comprise only 13 percent of the population, they are
prescribed approximately one-third of all medications in
the United States. In addition, older patients are likely to
be prescribed more long-term prescriptions, as well as
multiple prescriptions, which could potentially result in
unintentional misuse. A large percentage of older adults
also use OTC medicines and dietary supplements, along
with prescription medications, which could lead to dangerous
results. The elderly also are at risk for prescription
drug abuse, in which they intentionally take medications
that are not medically necessary. Because of high rates
of comorbid illnesses among the elderly, changes in drug
Metabolism with age, and the potential for drug interactions,
prescription and OTC drug abuse or misuse can have
more adverse health consequences among this age group.
Source: National Institutes on Drug Abuse
Toll Free: 888-9NO-DRUGS or 888-966-3784
| Definitions of Terms Used |
| Drug | Any substance, other than food, that changes the function or structure of the body or mind when ingested. Drugs essentially are poisons. The degree they are taken determines the effect. A small amount acts as a stimulant. A greater amount acts as a sedative. A larger amount acts as a poison and can kill one dead. This is true of any drug. Each has a different amount at which it gives those results.
| | Drug abuse | The use of illegal drugs or the inappropriate use of legal drugs. The repeated use of drugs to produce pleasure, to alleviate stress, or to alter or avoid reality - or all three.
| | Metabolism | The processes by which the body breaks things down or alters them so they can be eliminated.
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