ER Visits Increase for Prescription Drug Use

Youth Today, January 10, 2011


"If hospital emergency room visits are any indication, prescription drugs are replacing illicit drugs as America’s preferred vice.
A new government report shows the number of hospital visits involving prescription drug abuse or misuse has doubled over the past five years, with patients aged 20 or younger accounting for nearly 20 percent of all drug-related emergency room visits in 2009. For three years in a row, the number of hospital visits due to abuse or misuse of these pharmaceuticals – with Alprazolam (Xanax, an anti-anxiety drug), oxycodone products (pain relievers), respiratory system drugs and antidepressants used most prevalently by youths – has surpassed visits due to illicit drugs, such as marijuana, cocaine and heroin.
The information comes from the 2009 Drug Abuse Warning Network report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and has helped fuel an Obama administration crackdown on prescription drug abuse." Read More