National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Prescription Drug Abuse is the National Institute on Drug Abuse
A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine 
National Institutes of Health
Prescription Drug Abuse
Most people take medicines only for the reasons their doctors prescribe them. But an estimated 20 percent of people in the United States have used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons. This is prescription drug abuse. It is a serious and growing problem.
Abusing some prescription drugs can lead to addiction. You can develop an addiction to:
- Narcotic painkillers
- Sedatives and tranquilizers
- Stimulants
Experts don't know exactly why this type of drug abuse is increasing. The availability of drugs is probably one reason. Doctors are prescribing more drugs for more health problems than ever before. Online pharmacies make it easy to get prescription drugs without a prescription, even for youngsters.
NIH: National Institute on Drug Abuse
-
Start Here
-
Commonly Abused Prescription Drug Abuse Chart(National Institute on Drug Abuse)
-
Prescription and Over-the-Counter Medications(National Institute on Drug Abuse)
- Also available in Spanish
-
Commonly Abused Prescription Drug Abuse Chart
The top row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Basics
,
Learn More
, and
Multimedia & Cool Tools
.
For group Basics
For group Learn More
The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Research
,
Reference Shelf
, and
For You
.
For group Research
For group Reference Shelf
For group For You
-
Overviews
- Prescription Drug Abuse(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
-
Prescription Drugs(National Institute on Drug Abuse)
-
Latest News
- Drop In Illicit Drug Use in Cities, Uptick in Prescription Drug Abuse(10/15/2012, HealthDay)
- Prescription Drug Abuse Drops Among U.S. Young Adults(09/24/2012, HealthDay)
- Teens Who Drink, Smoke More Likely to Abuse Painkillers(08/21/2012, HealthDay)
-
Treatment
- Facts About Buprenorphine for Treatment of Opioid Addiction(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - PDF
- Facts About Naltrexone for Treatment of Opioid Addiction(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - PDF
- Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Addiction: Facts for Families and Friends(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - PDF
-
Seeking Drug Abuse Treatment: Know What to Ask(National Institute on Drug Abuse)
-
Treating Prescription Drug Addiction(National Institute on Drug Abuse)
-
Prevention/Screening
-
Preventing and Recognizing Prescription Drug Abuse(National Institute on Drug Abuse)
- Return to top
-
Preventing and Recognizing Prescription Drug Abuse
-
Specific Conditions
- Benzodiazepines(Drug Enforcement Administration)
- CDC Vital Signs: Prescription Painkiller Overdoses - Use and Abuse of Methadone as a Painkiller(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
-
Fentanyl(National Institute on Drug Abuse)
- Hydrocodone(Drug Enforcement Administration)
-
MedlinePlus: Anabolic Steroids(National Library of Medicine)
- Also available in Spanish
- Narcotics(Drug Enforcement Administration)
-
Painkiller (Oxy, Vike) Facts
(National Institute on Drug Abuse)
-
Stimulant ADHD Medications -- Methylphenidate and Amphetamines(National Institute on Drug Abuse)
-
What Are Some Commonly Abused Prescription Drugs?(National Institute on Drug Abuse)
- Return to top
-
Related Issues
- Combating Misuse and Abuse of Prescription Drugs(Food and Drug Administration)
- Return to top
-
Tutorials
- Get Smart About Drugs - Your Home(Drug Enforcement Administration)
- Rx Danger Zones: The Search Starts at Home(National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign)
- Return to top
-
Games
- Help a Friend(National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign)
- Return to top
-
Research
-
Few Teens with Prescription Opioid Use Disorders Receive Treatment(National Institute on Drug Abuse)
-
Prescription Drug Abuse(National Institute on Drug Abuse)
-
Prescription Drugs: Abuse and Addiction(National Institute on Drug Abuse)
-
Up Close with Opioid Receptors(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
-
Well-Known Mechanism Underlies Benzodiazepines' Addictive Properties(National Institute on Drug Abuse)
- Return to top
-
Few Teens with Prescription Opioid Use Disorders Receive Treatment
-
Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
-
Directories
- Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
- Return to top
-
Organizations
- Drug Enforcement Administration
- Food and Drug Administration
-
National Institute on Drug Abuse
- Partnership at Drugfree.org(Partnership for a Drug-Free America)
- Return to top
-
Statistics
- CDC Vital Signs: Prescription Painkiller Overdoses in the US(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Emergency Department Visits Involving Drug Misuse or Abuse by Children Aged 12 to 14(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
- Non-Medical Use and Abuse: Prescription-Type and Over-the-Counter Drugs(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
- Trends in Emergency Department Visits Involving Nonmedical Use of Narcotic Pain Relievers(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
-
Trends in Prescription Drug Abuse(National Institute on Drug Abuse)
- Return to top
-
MedlinePlus Magazine
-
Teenagers
-
Facts on Prescription and Over-the-counter Drugs(National Institute on Drug Abuse)
- PDF
- How Can I End a Prescription Drug Habit Safely?(Nemours Foundation)
- Misuse of Prescription Pain Relievers: The Buzz Takes Your Breath Away. Permanently.(Food and Drug Administration)
-
Prescription Drug Abuse(National Institute on Drug Abuse)
- Prescription Drug Abuse(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
-
Facts on Prescription and Over-the-counter Drugs
-
Seniors
- Prescription Drug Abuse in the Elderly(American Academy of Family Physicians)
- Return to top
-
You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
