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Prescription drug abuse in young adults

Prescription drug abuse in young adults

Prescription drugs are the new drugs of abuse among young adults. While drug use in general seems to be dropping in high schools, prescription drug abuse is skyrocketing. The recently published National Youth Risk Behavior Survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that 1 of 5 high school students in the United States reported abusing a prescription drug at some time in their lives. The most commonly mentioned drugs were OxyContin®, Percocet®, Vicodin®, Adderall®, Ritalin®, and Xanax®. Prescription drug abuse was most common among white students (23%), followed by Hispanic students (17%), and then black students (12%). Not surprisingly, high school students were most likely to abuse drugs in their senior year (MMWR 2010;59:1-142). While many teens get their prescription drugs from medicine cabinets of family and friends, others order them online, and recently many drug dealers have begun specializing in prescription drugs.

Many young adults, however, seek opioids and benzodiazepines from physicians, especially in emergency departments (ED). A new report from MMWR reports that ED visits for nonmedical use of opioid analgesics increased 111% from 2004 to 2008 and increased 29% from 2007 to 2008 alone. The highest number of ED visits was recorded for oxycodone, hydrocodone, and methadone. ED visits for benzodiazepines also increased 89% over the same period. In 2008, the rates of visits for both opioids and benzodiazepines increased sharply after age 17 and peaked in the 21-24 year age group. During the 2004-2008 study period, the largest increase in ED visits to obtain drugs occurred among persons age 21-29 years. Findings were from the CDC and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, reviewing data from the Drug Abuse Warning Network (MMWR 2010;59:705-709).