9781422282540

12 PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

for Health Statistics, more than 22,000 Americans died from prescription drug overdoses in 2013. That works out to 60 deaths every single day. And the problem is getting worse—that 2013 figure was nearly double what it was a decade earlier (see table on page 13). And these numbers don’t include the many people struggling with addiction or the family members and friends who are also affected. Troublingly, many of these users are young people. A national survey found that in 2013, almost 14 percent of 12th graders admitted to having used a prescription drug for “nonmedical” reasons. This volume will discuss the three most frequently misused types of prescription drugs: painkillers such as Vicodin and OxyContin, sedatives such

Pharmacies are staffed with trained professionals who understand the thousands of prescription drugs available.