Prescription Drug Abuse

…an invisible epidemic

MPH 500By Cyrina Allen

February 24, 2014

Prescription Drug Abuse

Currently in the United States, is the fastest growing problem(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2012)

Since 2007 there are more deaths of women annually from prescription drugs than from car accidents (CDC, 2013a)

Men and women, teens and adults, and loved ones of the victims are affected

Every ethnicity, race, and class are involved

Prescription drug abuse and women…

The use among women is rising significantly in the U.S. and Montana

Even though more men suffer from overdose, more women die of prescription drug use (CDC, 2013d)

Thousands die yearly, 6,600 reported deaths in 2010 from prescription painkiller overdoses (CDC, 2013d)

Prescription drug abuse and women…

Age Statistics

National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) (2011) reports most common age for prescription drug abuse is between 18 and 25

Ages 25-54 are most likely to visit emergency room for prescription drug use (CDC, 2013a)

Ages 45-54 have highest incidences of overdose deaths (CDC, 2013a)

Prescription drug abuse and women…

Increased emergency room visits means an increase in prescriptions written

In 2010 there were a reported 943,365 emergency room visits by women (CDC, 2013b)

prescription painkillers are most common in overdoses (Montana Dept. of Justice, 2013b)

Lortab and Vicodin are the most prescribed (Montana Dept. of Justice, 2013b)

“every 3 minutes, a woman goes to the emergency department for prescription painkiller misuse or abuse.”(CDC,2013d, para. 14)

Q: Why women?A: Suceptibility

More women suffer from mental health issues such as anxiety, shame, and depression (The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, 2014)

Women are more likely to suffer from chronic pain issues (CDC, 2013a)

As primary caregivers women learn the medical system and are at risk for manipulating physicians and prescriptions (CDC, 2013a)

Prescription drug problem in Montana…

more than 300 prescription deaths per year among Montanans, an “invisible epidemic” (Montana Dept. of Justice, 2013a)

352 deaths between January 2008 and August 2013 related to prescription drugs, heroin, or cocaine (Uken, 2013)

2010 reports show that in Montana the rate of deaths among women were 5 times more than in 1999 (Uken, 2013)

The rise of prescription drug use… The National Survey on Drug Use and

Health noted about 2.4 billion first-time users in 2010 (NIDA, 2011) ½ of these first-timers were women One-third were between the ages of 12

and 17 Ethnicity rates as reported in 2012 by the

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration(SAMSHA)(2013)

were12.7% American Indian, 9.2% White, 8.3% Hispanic, and Asians 3.7%

“more than 5 times as many women died from prescription painkiller overdoes in 2010 as in 1999 (CDC, 2013d, para.7)

The rise of prescription drug use…

The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) (2011) noted that the total number of prescription drug abuse rose by 132% from 2004-2011

The number of men using prescriptions for non-medical reasons grew by 265% between 1999 and 2011;the use by women grew by 400% in that same timeframe (CDC, 2013d)

In 2007-2008 31% of Americans reported using two or more prescription drugs where in1999-2000 the number was 25% (CDC, 2013c)

More trends in prescription drug use Tripling in the last

two decades-more than 15,000 overdose deaths (CDC, 2013c)

1 in 10 ratio of involvement with suicide (CDC, 2013d)

Emergency room visits doubled in the last 5 years (CDC, 2013e)

$72.5 billion in medical costs for prescription drug abuse (CDC, 2013e)

Prescription drug abuse-” the use of a medication without a prescription, in a way other than as prescribed, or for the experience or feelings elicited.” (NIDA, 2011)

Addiction-a chronic disease of the brain that requires reward and motivation, can be easily obtained in those who use prescription drugs (American Society of Addiction Medicine [ASAM], 2011)

Biological and Molecular characteristics of prescription drug abuse…

Prescription drugs

Addiction

Reward

Euphoria

Motivation

Prescription drug abuse becomes an addiction

Addiction(ASAM, 2011)

(ASAM, 2011)

Relationships

Inabilityto abstain

Fromdrugs

Dysfunctionalemotions

Impaired behavior

Biological and Molecular characteristics of prescription drug abuse…

Addiction of prescription drugs affects several areas of the brain (ASAM, 2011)

Direct neurological link between prescription drugs and the brain (ASAM, 2011)

Neurotransmitters (chemical signals of brain) are affected by happiness and pleasure triggering the want for more (addiction) (ASAM, 2011)

Social and behavioral factors…the transtheoretical model

Focus on changing one’s behavior (Schneider, 2014)using 5 stages: Precontemplation-subject discovers they have

an addiction to prescription drugs but no change (UMBC, 2011)

Contemplation-subject understands they need help but fearful of the process (Schneider, 2014)

Preparation-a plan is made for change (UMBC, 2011)(Schneider, 2014)

Action-subject will refrain from taking prescription drugs (Schneider, 2014)

Maintenance-maintain clean behavior and prevent relapse (Schneider, 2014)

Social and behavioral factors…the ecological model of behavioral health

Focuses on the relationship of prescription drug abuse and the subjects social environment, 5 influences: Intrapersonal factors-relates to personality,

behavior, and skills of the subject (Schneider, 2014)

Interpersonal relations-family, friends, and coworkers of the subject (Schneider, 2014)

Institutional settings-workplace policies, drug-free zones, school campus rules and regulations (Schneider, 2014)

Community-area surrounding subjects personal life, has great impact on subject (Schneider, 2014)

Public policy- law and/or ordinances that affect the subject (Schneider, 2014)

Public health and Prescription drug abuse…in conclusion...

Prescription drug abuse is a huge problem in Montana and the entire United States

Biggest concern is the increasing numbers in women

Strategies and solutions are needed immediately to fix this public health issue

Thank you!

References American Society of Addiction Medicine. (2011). Definition of addiction.

Retrieved February 2, 2014 from http://www.asam.org/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012) CDC grand rounds:

Prescription drug overdoses — a U.S. epidemic. Retrieved February 23, 2014 from http://www.cdc.gov/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013a). Deaths from prescription painkiller overdoses rise sharply among women. Retrieved January

19, 2014 from http://www.cdc.gov Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013b). Morbidity and mortality

weekly report. Vital signs: overdoses of prescription opioid pain relievers and other drugs among women — United States, 1999–2010. Retrieved February 23, 2014 from http://www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013c). Prescription drug use continues to increase: U.S. prescription drug data for 2007-2008. Retrieved on January 26, 2014 from http://www.cdc.gov/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013d). Prescription painkiller overdoses. Retrieved February 23, 2014 from http://www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013e). Saving lives and protecting people: Preventing prescription painkiller overdose. Retrieved on

January 26, 2014 from http://www.cdc.gov/ Drug Abuse Warning Network. (2009). National estimates of drug-related

emergency department visits: Nonmedical use of pharmaceuticals. Retrieved January 26, 2014 from http://www.samhsa.gov/data/DAWN.aspx

Montana Department of Justice. (2013a). Invisible epidemic. Retrieved January 19, 2014 from https://doj.mt.gov

References cont. Montana Department of Justice. (2013b). Percs, oxys & sprinkles.

Retrieved January 19, 2014 from https://doj.mt.gov National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. (2014)

Women and Drugs. Retrieved February 23, 2014 from http://www.ncadd.org/

National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2011). What is prescription drug abuse? Retrieved February 23, 2014 from

http://www.drugabuse.gov/ Schneider, M.J. (2014) Introduction to Public Health. How

psychological factors affect health behaviors. (pp. 221-236). Burlington, MA. Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2013b). Results from the 2012 national survey on drug use and health: Summary of national findings. Retrieved February 23, 2014 from http://www.samhsa.gov/

Uken, C. (2013, December 29). Death rates soar among women using prescription drugs. Billings Gazette. Retrieved January 19,

2014 from http://billingsgazette.com University of Maryland Baltimore County (2011) The

transtheorethical model of behavior change. Retrieved February 9, 2014 from http://www.umbc.edu/