Prescription Drugs: Who Is The Most Vunerable

Adolescents. According to the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.2% of adolescents aged 12-17 had used a prescription psychotherapeutic drug for non-medical reasons in the past year and 4.0 percent were current users. Prescription opioids are a particularly serious problem in this age group. NIDA's 2004 Monitoring the Future survey of 8th-, 10th-, and 12thgraders found that 5.0% of 12th-graders reported abusing OxyContin in the past year, and 9.3% reported abusing Vicodin, making Vicodin one of the most commonly abused prescription drugs in this population. Another troubling trend is the recent phenomena known as "pharming," where young people mix prescription medications and ingest some or all of them at once, unaware of potentially severe drug interactions.

Elderly Adults. Although persons 65 years of age and above comprise only 13% of the population, they are prescribed approximately one-third of all medications in the United States. In addition, older patients are likely to be prescribed more long-term prescriptions, as well as multiple prescriptions, which could potentially result in unintentional misuse. A large percentage of older adults also use over the counter medicines and dietary supplements, along with prescription medications, which could lead to dangerous results. The elderly also are at risk for prescription drug abuse, in which they intentionally take medications that are not medically necessary. Because of high rates of comorbid illnesses among the elderly, changes in drug metabolism with age, and the potential for drug interactions, prescription and over the counter drug abuse or misuse can have more adverse health consequences among this age group.

Gender Differences. Studies suggest that women are more likely than men to be prescribed an abusable prescription drug, particularly narcotics and anti-anxiety drugs, in some cases, 55% more likely.  Overall, men and women have roughly similar rates of non-medical use of prescription drugs. An exception is found among 12- to 17-year-olds. In this age group, young women are more likely than young men to use psychotherapeutic drugs non-medically. In addition, research has shown that women are at increased risk for non-medical use of narcotic analgesics and tranquilizers (e.g., benzodiazepines). However, among women and men who use a sedative, anti-anxiety drug, or hypnotic, women are almost two times more likely to become addicted.

(Source: NIDA)