| Prescription drug abuse is one of the most common | | | | constipation. |
| amongst drug users today. Getting hooked onto | | | | Dependence on pain killers |
| prescription drugs happens so silently so much so | | | | It is very easy to become dependent on pain killers. |
| that the user does not even realise it till it is too late. | | | | Soon the user finds that he or she requires higher |
| Most people also seem to be under the false notion | | | | and higher quantities in order to feel its effects. |
| that being addicted to prescription drugs is ‘safer' | | | | When the user tries to stop using the drugs they |
| than being addicted to regular drugs. Unfortunately | | | | could suffer from bone pain, intense anxiety, diarrhea, |
| this could not be farther from the truth. Prescription | | | | tremors, sweating, vomiting etc. |
| drugs are as harmful. | | | | Sleeping pills and their side effects |
| Depressants and their side effects | | | | Another kind of prescription drug that is often |
| People hooked onto to depressants and then | | | | abused is the sleeping pills. Usage of these drugs is |
| stopping without the guidance of the appropriate | | | | known to lower inhibitions, reduce anxiety and give |
| medical supervision can go into seizures. This kind of | | | | the user a feeling of well being. On the down side |
| medication can also be lethal when taken in | | | | they induce low blood pressure, slow down the pulse |
| combination with other components like allergy | | | | rate, interfere with coordination, concentration, |
| medication or alcohol. It can reduce a person's heart | | | | respiration and can even cause death. |
| rate and breathing, which can subsequently lead to | | | | Effect on pregnant women |
| death. | | | | Like all other drugs, prescription drug abuse can be |
| Heart failure | | | | very harmful to pregnant women, leading to |
| Heart failure and irregularity in heartbeats is also a | | | | miscarriages, low weight babies and early labor. |
| common side effect of prescription drug abuse. In | | | | Changes in personality |
| addition to this there could also be a dangerously high | | | | People addicted to prescription drugs also face |
| rise in the body temperature of the user. | | | | changes in their personality. They tend to be |
| Pain Killers and their short term side effects | | | | withdrawn from their social circles, i.e. loved ones, |
| Pain killers are some of the most common | | | | friends and associates. Embarrassment about the |
| prescription drugs that people tend to abuse. When | | | | dependence could also be a cause for their |
| taken in small doses, they could result in drowsiness, | | | | withdrawal. |
| lack of concentration, nausea, dizziness, droopy | | | | Forgetfulness and fatigue |
| eyelids and slow breathing. Large doses however can | | | | One of the earliest signs of prescription drug abuse is |
| be lethal. Constriction of the pupils, cold skin that is | | | | constant fatigue. Addiction can also lead to absent |
| appears blue and moist and even death could be | | | | mindedness and forgetfulness due to his lethargy. |
| some of the side effects. | | | | Defensiveness |
| Long term side effects of pain killers | | | | Lastly but also equally important is the signs of the |
| Taking pain killers over a prolonged period of time | | | | user being defensive. A person dependent on |
| can also have various health side effects. Some of | | | | prescription medication will never admit to it. He or |
| these would include moodiness, irregularities in | | | | she will insist that they still require the medication and |
| menstrual cycles, constricted pupils and even | | | | the altercation could even get ugly for the accuser. |