Prescription Drug Use in Military on the Rise

A report by USA Today indicates the Pentagon is growing concerned about the volume of prescription painkillers issued to U.S. troops. Pentagon health officials say military doctors wrote almost 3.8 million pain medication prescriptions to service members in 2009. This represents an increase of more than four times the number of prescriptions written in 2001.

While not all of these prescriptions are being abused, according to the report one in four military members admitted to abusing prescription drugs in the year prior to a Pentagon survey in 2008. Fifteen percent of service members said they had abused them in the month before the survey. Military officials are concerned the increased used is leading to abuse due to longer and more frequent deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. "Clearly the stress on the force, because of these continuous deployments, is a component (in the increasing of prescriptions)," says Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a decorated Marine veteran.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) says government agencies and researchers have been working together to adapt prevention interventions and drug abuse treatment programs use with active military, veterans and their families since early last year. The NIDA indicates a number of projects are already being funded.

The harder issue to track is the illegal sharing of prescription drugs among military members. In addition to service members who may be over-medicated by their doctors, Hugh McBride of the Drug Treatment Center says the military is also keeping an eye on the subject of sharing prescription meds. In 2007, the U.S. military leadership in Yonsan, South Korea, issued a press release warning against the misuse and sharing of prescription pills. The release said, "We need our soldiers and civilians to know not to use someone else's prescription medication."

Branches of the military frequently provide pamphlets, require members to attend abuse awareness workshops and provide support groups and treatment programs. However, there is a stigma associated with attending treatment programs unless you have been ordered to do so and a fear of repercussions to members' careers if supervisors become aware of an abuse situation. That fear is a founded one if members are caught using, buying or distributing prescription drugs illegally.

The Columbia Missourian newspaper reported in January 2009 that seven soldiers from Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., were convicted by court martial of illegal drug use or distribution. Five more were awaiting trial at the time and two had gone AWOL after word of charges got out. According to the article, the head of the Army's substance abuse treatment program acknowledged the increased potential for abuse of prescription painkillers when attempting to treat injured soldiers. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) is concerned about the stigma placed on service members that do step forward to admit an addiction. "A soldier who steps forward is someone who should be admired, not as someone with a black mark next to their name," McCaskill said.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have forced military members to serve multiple, often consecutive, combat deployments. In addition to the sacrifices these men and women are making for this country and the dangers they are placed in, it seems they're fighting even harder to avoid the detrimental effects of prescribed pain killers, both for their health and their careers.

Sources:
Gregg Zoroya, Abuse of Pain Pills by Troops Concerns Pentagon, USA Today
NIDA, Substance Abuse Among Military, Veterans and their Families, Drugabuse.gov
Hugh McBride, Prescription and OTC Drug Abuse in the Military, Drug Treatment Center
Alan Scher Zagier, Critics Question Army's Response to Drug Abuse Cases, Columbia Missourian/AP