9781422282540

CHAPTER ONE

WHAT ARE PRESCRIPTION DRUGS? Prescription medications are part of the fabric of American life. Uncountable numbers of lives have been improved because of these medicines. They fight cancer and AIDS. They help stave off heart attacks and strokes. And for about 70 million Americans who cope with chronic pain, prescription drugs can be the only thing that makes normal life possible. About 1 in 10 Americans takes some form of antidepressant on a regular basis, and countless suicides and other catastrophes have been averted thanks to these medications. There’s no doubt, therefore, that prescription drugs save lives. But too often, these same drugs are taken for purposes outside their intended use. Experts call this use diversion . And when diversion occurs, miracle drugs can turn into nightmares. According to the National Center

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