Prescription Drug Addiction

Prescription drug addiction occurs when an individual comes to depend on prescription drugs to feel better in some way, and experiences cravings for the drugs in between doses. The drug use continues in spite of negative consequences, such as relationship difficulties, problems on the job, or the risk of physical harm from inappropriate use.



Articles Related to Prescription Drug Addiction

Burt Reynolds Enters Rehab

Actor Burt Reynolds, 73, has checked himself into a rehab facility in West Palm Beach, Florida, to be treated for an addiction to painkillers. The actor’s manager, Erik Kritzer, said in a statement that Reynolds was struggling after a recent back surgery and “realized that he was in the prison of...
September 15th, 2009 | Prescription Drug Addiction | Read More

Jackson: Lethal Amounts of Propofol in System

Toxicology results finally showed that Michael Jackson had lethal amounts of the drug propofol in his system when he died. Los Angeles coroner Dr. Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran reached that preliminary conclusion after reviewing toxicology results carried out on Jackson’s blood, according to an affidavit.
August 23rd, 2009 | Prescription Drug Addiction | Read More

Doctor Left Jackson Alone After Sedation

Dr. Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson’s former personal physician, left Jackson alone and under the influence of a powerful anesthetic the morning the pop singer died, according to three sources. By the time Murray returned from making phone calls, the singer had stopped breathing.
August 13th, 2009 | Prescription Drug Addiction | Read More

Anxiety Medications Can Lead to Even More Worries

Stan Starr, a 54-year-old financial consultant, goes to 12-step meetings not because of addiction to street drugs or alcohol, but because of the pills he was prescribed years ago by his psychiatrist for anxiety. After he stopped taking Klonopin, a type of benzodiazepine, Starr found that he couldn’t...
August 4th, 2009 | Types of Addiction | Read More

Michael Jackson and Propofol

Although the toxicology reports are still pending, authorities believe the drug propofol, a powerful anesthetic, is what killed pop singer Michael Jackson. A law enforcement official told the Associated Press that Michael Jackson’s personal doctor, Conrad Murray, administered the drug to help Jackson...
July 29th, 2009 | Prescription Drug Addiction | Read More

The Dangers of Demerol

By Leslie Thompson “Demerol, Demerol. Oh, God, he’s taking Demerol” are very poignant lyrics from Michael Jackson’s 1997 song “Morphine.” With Jackson’s shocking death on June 25, 2009, many questions have arisen, the most popular one being whether he died from a drug overdose. Jackson...
July 2nd, 2009 | Addiction in the Media | Read More

Drug Use in Health Care

As anyone who’s seen the show knows, Nurse Jackie, the title character of Showtime’s new hospital drama, depends on narcotic painkillers like OxyContin, Vicodin, and Percocet to make it through each day as an ER nurse. She suffers from chronic back pain, and is seen snorting or drinking powdered...
June 23rd, 2009 | Prescription Drug Addiction | Read More

Deaths from Prescription Drug Abuse Rising

Unintentional deaths involving prescription opioids like Vicodin and OxyContin have increased 114 percent from 2001 to 2005, and treatment admissions have increased 74 percent in a similar four-year period, according to a report released by the National Drug Intelligence Center and the Drug Enforcement...
May 21st, 2009 | Prescription Drug Addiction | Read More

Ativan & Lorazepam Addiction

Ativan is the brand name for Lorazepam, a benzodiazepine drug that is used in treating anxiety. It affects chemicals in the brain that are known to cause anxiety when they become unbalanced. In its pure form, this drug is an almost white powder that is almost insoluble in water and oil. It is generally...
May 19th, 2009 | Prescription Drug Addiction | Read More

Prescription Stimulant Drug Addiction

By Suzanne Kane In 2003, more than 6.3 million Americans reported current use of prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2004, by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Of this number, 1.2 percent...
May 13th, 2009 | Prescription Drug Addiction | Read More