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Prescription drug and over-the-counter (OTC) drug abuse together constitutes 2.6 percent of all primary illicit substances admitted to South African drug treatment facilities. [78] However, lifetime illicit drug use for prescription or OTC medicines was highest among adolescents, at 16 percent prevalence rate, followed by inhalants, club drugs ...
Prescription drug overuse or non-medical prescription drug use is the use of prescription medications that is more than the prescribed amount, regardless of whether the original medical reason to take the drug is legitimate. [1] [2] A prescription drug is a drug substance prescribed by a doctor and intended to for individual use only. [3]
The rate of prescription drug use is fast overtaking illegal drug use in the United States. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, 7 million people were taking prescription drugs for nonmedical use in 2010. Among 12th graders, nonmedical prescription drug use is now second only to cannabis. [19]
In Europe, prescription opioids account for three‐quarter of overdose deaths, which represent 3.5% of total deaths among 15-39-year-olds. [67] Some worry that the epidemic could become a worldwide pandemic if not curtailed. [26] Prescription drug abuse among teenagers in Canada, Australia, and Europe was comparable to U.S. teenagers. [26]
[22] [23] [24] The epidemic began with the overprescription and abuse of prescription drugs. [25] However, as prescription drugs became less accessible in 2016 in response to CDC opioid prescribing guidelines, [26] there was an increase in demand and accessibility to cheaper, illicit alternatives to opioids such as heroin and fentanyl. [27]
Prescription drug monitoring programs, or PDMPs, are an example of one initiative proposed to alleviate effects of the opioid crisis. [1] The programs are designed to restrict prescription drug abuse by limiting a patient's ability to obtain similar prescriptions from multiple providers (i.e. “doctor shopping”) and reducing diversion of controlled substances.
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Prices of prescription drugs vary widely around the world. Prescription costs for biosimilar and generic drugs are usually less than brand names, but the cost is different from one pharmacy to another. To lower prescription drug costs, some U.S. states have sought federal approval to buy drugs in Canada, as of 2022. [26]