In the U.S., more people suffer from addictions to prescriptions drugs than with addictions to heroin, cocaine, methamphetamines, 
and other drugs, with the exception of marijuana. According to the National Institutes of Health, approximately 20 percent of people living in the U.S. use prescription drugs for non-medical reasons. The issue is the current focus of the Obama administration, which is planning to roll out a new campaign to help curb the rising trend in the abuse of prescription meds.
There are several contributing factors to the increase in the number of people abusing prescription medications. The first is the easy access some people, including minors, can have in getting prescription medications. For some teenagers, it’s a simple matter of raiding a parent’s medicine cabinet. Others know how to mimic symptoms of diseases, like anxiety or depression, in order to get a doctor to prescribe medication. Online pharmacies may be more susceptible to people using fake, or forged, prescriptions to obtain medication.
Another contributing factor is misperception about the dangers of prescription medication. Many teenagers mistakenly believe that using prescription medication to get high is safer than illicit drug use. Teenage boys are likely to underestimate the danger of abusing steroids as they attempt to build larger muscles.
In addition to these contributing factors, people of all ages may fall prey to the addicting qualities of some prescription medications. Whether a drug has a history of addiction may indicate the likelihood of an individual becoming addicted to it. Individuals can determine whether addiction is a common side effect for a specific medication by consulting a directory of prescription medications, such as List Rx. Through the directory, you can find out that narcotic painkillers, including Vicodin or OxyContin, have an addictive quality. Some sedatives and tranquilizers, including Valium and Xanax, are addictive. You can also learn if a stimulant, such as Aldderall, Ritalin, or Dexedrin, are addicting.
