There is an Epidemic of Prescription Painkiller Abuse in the U.S.

The United States of America puts more people in prison than any other country in the world. For some people we are not the "land of the free" at all. The vast majority of people behind bars today is because of drug convictions. Why some drugs like nicotine (cigarettes) and alcohol are considered legal and other less harmful ones are not is beyond me.

And if you want to talk dangerous, prescription drugs kill more people each year than all of the illegal drugs combined. Having said that, illegal drugs are still a big problem in this country, but I think that the money spent would be better spent on education and treatment.

One disturbing trend today is that more and more young people are abusing prescription drugs than ever before. It has become an epidemic in this country. Part of the problem is that a lot of people think that just because a doctor prescribed the drug, then it's safe for anybody to use.

Another problem is the accessibility of the drugs. It's very easy to open up the medicine cabinet and take a handful of your parent's prescriptions. Chances are that they probably won't even miss them.

Of all the prescription drugs that are misused, by far and away the most common are narcotic painkillers. Three Oxycontin will give you a considerable high. And they are extremely addictive and hard to quit when you try to wean yourself off of them.

And they are also very dangerous. Most of them have acetaminophen in them. Exceed the maximum daily dose of acetaminophen and you qualify for a liver transplant. The other drug in these types of medications for pain is a synthetic derivative of codeine or morphine, you know, that stuff that comes from the same flower that heroin comes from.

According to the St. Louis Post dispatch:

"Unintentional overdose deaths in teens and adults have reached epidemic proportions in the U.S., according to a report released this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 27,500 people died from unintentional drug overdoses in 2007, most involving opiod pain medications."

This is even more than automobile accidents. Another report suggested that 1 in 5 high school students have stolen prescription drugs from their parents.

If you must have prescription painkillers in the house keep them in a locked place. Better yet, take the ones you don't use to one of the outdated prescription roundups that are held each year. Just call your local police department for the times and locations.

Source: http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/health/health-matters/article_2a5d0ff4-703b-11e0-a763-001a4bcf6878.html