WHAT ARE PRESCRIPTION DRUGS?

Prescription drugs are medicines that patients may get with a prescription from their doctor. Doctors may prescribe certain drugs to treat the health conditions of their patients to help them feel better.

Below are a few examples of health conditions treated by a doctor’s prescription:

· Allergies

· Anxiety

· Asthma

· Attention and focus

· Blood pressure

· Cholesterol

· Depression

· Diabetes (low blood sugar)

· Infection

· Pain

· Sleep disorders

· Skin rash

HOW ARE PRESCRIPTION DRUGS ABUSED?

If a person takes a prescription drug in a way that is different from what the doctor prescribed, it is called prescription drug abuse.

Examples of prescription drug abuse include:

Taking a medicine that was prescribed for someone else
Taking a larger dose than you are supposed to
Using the medicine for another purpose, such as getting high

If prescription drugs are abused and taken in different amounts, or for different purposes than as prescribed, they can harm the brain, and central nervous system.

Source – The National Institute of Health

Video: Teen Prescription Drug Abuse